ABSTRACT
Attachment is the first pillar of the concept of mentalization. Attachment behaviour is innate behaviour. Bowlby was the first to distinguish between secure and insecure attachment. A secure attachment relationship is not necessarily a condition for a healthy psychological development, but is seen as a protective factor. Children have to form attachments according to the imperative laws of nature, whether their parents are loving or abusive or something in-between. Children and adults with insecure attachment relationships have no confidence in their own ability to take care of themselves. The Adult Attachment Interview is used to determine a person's attachment style and, based on this, their internal working models. To determine attachment style in children, a drawing test has been developed in which scores are assigned to drawings of the family. People with a traumatic history in their attachment relationship have taught themselves, for their own survival, to turn off their thoughts when their arousal level increases.
