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Trust and the Role of Attachment: Implications for Oncology

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The Complex Role of Patient Trust in Oncology

Part of the book series: Psychiatry Update ((PU,volume 5))

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Abstract

The ability to form an attachment is integral to trust. Attachment is a well-studied phenomenon of human relationships and the nature of development. Originally described in children, attachment styles are psychologically active in adults as well, especially during times of stress. Anxious and avoidant attachments styles well described in adults remain particularly relevant throughout the life span and particularly during times of acute stress. A diagnosis of cancer calls upon a person’s innate attachment tendencies and style. These attachment phenomena work in tandem with trust, yet not exactly parallel. Secure attachment is commonly associated with trust, but anxious and avoidant attachment styles may also be associated with trust and reflect other interpersonal limitations of a patient or clinician. Clinicians working in oncology witness and find themselves interfacing with patients’ unique attachment tendencies. This chapter begins with a description of the key attachment styles and their association with trust. Clinical examples of these key attachment styles and how they may become manifest in oncology settings are provided. Lastly, the chapter offers clinical suggestions in the consideration of attachment in facilitating and cultivating trustful relationships with patients.

Ask not what disease the patient has, but rather what person the disease has.

–Sir William Osler

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry/Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Daniel C. McFarland

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Andrew Edelstein

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Yesne Alici

  4. Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Yesne Alici

Authors
  1. Daniel C. McFarland
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  2. Andrew Edelstein
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  3. Yesne Alici
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel C. McFarland .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatry Dept., Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Daniel C. McFarland

  2. Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Institute Psychiatry, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    Luigi Grassi

  3. Assistant Dean, Emeritus, for Research, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Samuel M. Silver

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Michelle B. Riba

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McFarland, D.C., Edelstein, A., Alici, Y. (2024). Trust and the Role of Attachment: Implications for Oncology. In: McFarland, D.C., Grassi, L., Silver, S.M., Riba, M.B. (eds) The Complex Role of Patient Trust in Oncology. Psychiatry Update, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48557-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48557-2_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-48556-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-48557-2

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