Table 4: Sample quotations from participants’ responses to AAI questions
Participant classified as secure___________________________________________________________
Q6. When you were upset as a child, what would you do?
Erm, I would cry and then I would find my mum, [participant laughs] and I would put my
head on her lap and cry. [participant laughs] (mm) Which is nice._________________________
Q11. Why do you think your parents behaved the way they did during your childhood?
My mum saw, like, things that were hard for me and couldn’t do so, you know more than
another person so she felt she had to be more protective than another person. Which at the
time served its purpose but then, sometimes you know when you then develop past your
stage it takes them a while to realise that you’ve developed past that stage._________________
Participant classified as secure___________________________________________________________
Q6. [sigh] It depends what I was upset about. Er [3] could be fairly moody. I did have sort
of temper tantrums, specially if I was playing with things like Lego or Meccano and it
didn’t go together the way I wanted. Everything would get smashed or thrown across the
room. Uh [2] other times you know sort of, if it was more emotive things I'd tend to sort of
shut myself away. Uh, just hide myself out. Uh, those days and you know specially sort of,
you know I used to hide away with books and, just sort of, spend more time with myself.
Q11. Uh, I think probably it was actually pretty much reflective of their own [2]
upbringing as well. Uh, both, you know, having said I didn't meet my maternal grandfather
but, both are pretty systematic [sic] of their own nurturing. Uh, my mother’s family was
you know sort of all those things I described, warm, supportive through. Uh, and sort of
very, close-knit. Whereas my father's family were, more, pretty much aloof, uh [2]
disjointed shall we say as a family that sort of you know it was, a lot of loneliness through
each other. Uh, my grandfather, though, you know, a great guy, uh, had seen a lot of
problems through his life, you know he lost nine brothers in the first and second world
war, didn’t have very good relationship with his sisters on his own mother's death and, so,
sort of was pretty distant through. Uh, so I think you know sort of, they, the way they
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