Disorganized Attachment in Romantic Couples: A Cross-Cultural Relational Approach (USA–Mexico)

This brief reflection on Virginia Goldner’s essay, Romantic ties, Attachments, and Ruptures: Couples on the Brink, places the debate on disorganized attachment in couples within a cross-cultural context and examines how dynamics at the individual and group level are likely to influence couples who seek treatment having reached an impasse in their relationship. In the article “Bonds, Attachments, and Romantic Breakups: Couples on the Edge of the Abyss,” Virginia Goldner presents a complex analysis of the elements involved in the Relational Psychoanalytic Approach to Couples Therapy, particularly in romantic relationships that reach an impasse in conflict resolution. Her work is valuable for deeper exploration and practical application in clinical settings. Although it is developed within a specific cultural and societal context – where, in the U.S. the population tends to be more individualistic, young people often leave home to live independently, and affective bonds are generally less tight, facilitating more practical separations and divorces – these cultural patterns contrast with those in Mexico. In Mexico, children tend to have stronger ties with their families, leave the household later, and are influenced by predominant Catholic values, which often delay decisions regarding separation or divorce. Additionally, because individuals are more emotionally enmeshed with their families, relationship dynamics become more complex, with family members often playing a significant role in couples’ conflicts.