Explorations into Attachment Classifications: An Intersection Between Attachment and Object Relations in a South African Context

by Alexa Young

Attachment theory has implications for relational functioning across the lifespan. However, attachment theory describes only the observable, behavioural aspects of attachment, illustrating little about the internal, psychic world of the individual. Using the Attachment Story Completion Test to analyse at risk children aged 8-12 years in a South African setting, coupled with an object relational analysis, the author investigates the way in which attachment is traditionally classified in discrete categories as well as our understanding of the internal experience of insecure attachments.

168 pages, Paperback

Published December 30, 2014

About the author

Alexa Young began her professional life working in the music industry—first, assisting executives at the legendary Capitol Records, and then writing and editing for the supremely hilarious trade magazine Hits, where she got to interview recording artists such as Everclear, kd Lang, Michael Penn and Maxwell. She later worked as an editor for the teen magazine Jump, where she interviewed a just-starting-out Jessica Simpson, as well as Gwen Stefani/No Doubt, among others. From there, Alexa went on to become senior editor for the hugely popular women’s fitness magazine Shape and, more recently, she was deputy editor for Natural Health. She’s also a freelance writer, and has contributed to magazines, including Family Circle, Fitness, Parents, Woman’s Day and Women’s Health. Plus, she’s the coauthor of two nonfiction books for adults and is currently working on junior novels for the Disney Channel!

Frenemies was Alexa’s first novel, and is the first in a four-book series produced by Alloy Entertainment. The books follow the lives of Halley Brandon and Avalon Greene, two fashion-obsessed best friends who suddenly find themselves developing new interests, relationships and identities that threaten to break them up forever. The books have been translated into several languages and are bestsellers in France, where they were also made into graphic novels.

In 2012, the Disney Channel premiered the Original Movie based on Frenemies, starring teen sensations Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman (who also star on the network’s hit show, “Shake It Up”). The movie was the day’s top telecast among kids and tweens, and cable’s top show in the time period with 4.2 million total viewers. It’s also been viewed and rated by more than half a million viewers on Netflix! (Instant streaming available here.) In 2015, Alexa continued the love affair with Disney and began working on a variety of projects for the company, including a series of junior novels based on the hit television series Girl Meets World.

Alexa graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in Literature/Writing. She now lives in the Los Angeles area.