OF THE WAY WE WERE - ADULT MEMORIES ABOUT ATTACHMENT EXPERIENCES AND THEIR ROLE IN DETERMINING INFANT PARENT RELATIONSHIPS - A COMMENTARY

In his meta-analysis of studies demonstrating the predictive validity of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), van IJzendoorn (1995) relies on current thinking in attachment theory. Although the data he presents are forceful, there are alternate explanations for the relations he finds that are ignored. Narrative about personal memories may be a function of personal theories about developmental processes as well as current psychological state (e.g., personal self-esteem). There is currently no evidence that the coherency of discourse about early childhood experiences is a function of either actual early experience or reworkings of that experience. In the absence of such evidence, the data indicating that maternal personality influences infant behavior are not theoretically surprising.