From the literature reviewed, it is concluded that despite unanimous recognition of the critical importance of unresolved parental states of mind by attachment researchers, much remains misunderstood. A clear link has been established between an unresolved attachment status on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and disrupted care-giving behavior, namely atypical behaviors directed toward the infant. Parent’s who have experienced a loss or abuse in childhood which remains unresolved and unintegrated, have been found to exhibit this pattern of behavior. Also, although individuals with a history of sexual or physical abuse are prone to dissociative defenses; a mother with a history of childhood sexual abuse tends to be more withdrawn, uninvolved, and less sensitive in her interactions with her infants. A history of physical abuse is associated with increased hostility and intrusiveness. Several attachment research studies have demonstrated that unresolved mothers show frightened/frightening behaviors toward their infant. Disorganized attachment is most prevalent among high-risk populations, such as maltreated children. Recent attachment literature has demonstrated that one of the best predictors of attachment disorganization is an “Unresolved” parental state of mind regarding a loss or an abuse in the parent’s own attachment history. References