ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the individual, couple, intergenerational, and contextual impacts of abuse, violence, and trauma, on the transmission of attachment processes, and presents the Abuse, Violence, and Trauma (AVT) Focused Genogram (FG) as a method of assessment. It suggests that chronic intimate family violence leads to a disorganized attachment style characterized by structural dissociation of the personality. Disorganized attachment results from chronic imbalances in emotional and physical safety, trust, and connection and becomes more pervasive in the family system as attachment bonds are threatened and weakened. The chapter highlights corporal punishment, physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse as the four subcategories of child abuse. Disruptions in emotional and physical connections between parents and children that provide a secure base are one key to understanding disorganized attachment. The chapter demonstrates how abuse, intimate family violence, and trauma permeates throughout the Intersystem Approach domains. Attachment patterns, styles, and scripts transfer historical experiences of AVT intergenerationally.
