PSYn5808 Perspectives on Adult Attachment Interview

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Synchronous online teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Štěpán Kaňa (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Štěpán Kaňa
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Wed 17. 9. 16:00–17:40 P21b, Wed 24. 9. 16:00–17:40 P21b, Wed 1. 10. 16:00–17:40 P21b
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 12/20, only registered: 1/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The Perspectives of the Adult Attachment Interview is a specialized course that introduces students to the history, theoretical background, and future directions of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The AAI is widely regarded as the gold standard for assessing mental states with respect to attachment and is closely linked to the Strange Situation Test (SST). The course is structured into three modules. The first module, taught in person, provides students with a solid grounding in attachment theory, its psychoanalytic roots, and the development of the AAI. The following two modules are taught online by international guest lecturers. These focus on coding systems and manuals associated with the AAI, including reflective functioning, as well as derivative tools such as the Patient Attachment Classificatory System (PACS) and the Mirror Interview. Across lectures and seminars, students will engage with both theoretical foundations and practical applications of the AAI, including transcript analysis.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to: - understand the historical development of attachment theory, - have a basic overview of parallel streams of psychoanalytic thought and their possible applications, - comprehend attachment theory in the context of other key concepts such as mentalization, epistemic trust, intersubjectivity, and natural pedagogy, - understand the context of the origin and development of the Adult Attachment Interview, - grasp the basic principles of assessing and scoring attachment and reflective functioning measures, - perform contextual reading of an Adult Attachment Interview transcript.
Syllabus
Module 1 Lecture 1.1. Introduction to the course and the psychoanalytic conception of close relationships Lecture 1.2. From attachment theory to the Adult Attachment Interview and beyond Lecture 1.3. Mentalization, epistemic trust, and natural pedagogy Module 2 (Delivered ONLINE by Lindsay Myers (The New School for Social Research, New York, USA)) Lecture 2.1. The Ault Attachment Interview and the Berkeley coding system Lecture 2.2. Reflective functioning measured on the Adult Attachment Interview and Mentalization-based therapy Seminar 1. Analysis of an Adult Attachment Interview transcript Module 3 (Delivered by Tanvi Roberts (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) and Eva Piras (The New School for Social Research, New York, USA)) Lecture 3.1. Patient Attachment Classificatory System (PACS) Lecture 3.2. The Mirror Interview Seminar 2. Integrative seminar
Literature
    recommended literature
  • FONAGY, Peter. Attachment theory and psychoanalysis. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018, vi, 261. ISBN 9781855753310. info
Teaching methods
lectures, class discussion, presentations by professionals in the sectors, homework, reading
Assessment methods
To complete the course, students will write an individual seminar paper based on the analysis of an AAI transcript. For ethical and intellectual property reasons, transcripts will be generated using artificial intelligence. In their papers, students are expected to summarize the transcript, interpret its content, and analyze passages in relation to reflective functioning, mental states regarding attachment, or relevant psychoanalytic concepts. Students are encouraged to integrate qualitative analyses and innovative approaches. The paper should be approximately five pages in length and make use of assigned readings and discussed concepts. Evaluation is on a pass/fail basis. Students who do not pass on the first attempt will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit their work. Attendance at lectures and seminars is mandatory, with a maximum of two absences permitted.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught each semester.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2025/PSYn5808