[Quix]

Very well put.

I’ve come to be INCREASINGLY convinced with every such thread I read . . .

Whether Protty or RC,

folks who have suffered REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER

as I have . . .

seem to be AT GREATLY INCREASED RISK of

becoming INTENSELY addicted to a mind-set and construction on reality—particularly RELIGION-WISE—which is

—authoritarian

—narrow—hyper narrow in some respects—particularly in terms of IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP dynamics, constructions on reality and sensibilities

—haughty
—self-righteous

—addicted to !!!!TRADITION!!!! as an added illusion of enhanced security

—increasingly fiercely bitter, resentful, hostile, wary, assaultive . . . toward those not in their little group—usually even toward others in the larger organization not members of their congregation or even of their little clique within their congregation . . .

—VERY given to notions and practices of “earning one’s salvation” . . .

—extremely elaborate, nuanced, prissy, exacting rituals, customs, habits, ‘in-things’ to be TRULY most TRULY “RIGHTEOUS” . . .

—ritualized, formula-ized prayers . . . transforming God into a vending machine for the truly truly truly in-group . . .

—that Christ’s Death and Resurrection was somehow insufficient without all the organizationally supported, sanctioned, herded hoopla . . .

. . .

[bdeaner]

REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER

With all due respect, I have a doctorate in clinical psychology and reactive attachment disorder is not really an official diagnostic category in the DSM-IV-R. It's really a theory about what causes a variety of disorders, but not a DSM diagnosis in itself.

With that said, there is some validity to the construct of attachment disorders, I believe, and they tend to be linked to personality disorders, i.e. borderline personality disorder. However, having a particular attachment style does not, by a long shot, predict with certainty whether a person will develop any diagnostic condition, let alone any particular diagnosis. It actually accounts for a relatively small amount of the variance when predicting the development of psychopathology.

Interestingly, research is showing that the higher a person's religiosity (the strength of their religious beliefs and frequency of their practice) the more likely the person is to have a SECURE attachment style. Low religiosity is linked to INSECURE attachment styles, generally. Images of a LOVING God are especially linked to secure styles of attachment.