Ngā Tāpiritanga: Secure Attachments from a Māori Perspective

Abstract

While Western attachment theory has tended to focus on the interpersonal attachments between people, indigenous Māori attachment perspectives have always included connections and relationships to aspects outside of the interpersonal domain. Collective, cultural and tikanga-based extrapersonal relationships are significant in Te Ao Māori and include connection to whānau/hapū/iwi (extended family and community groups), whenua (land and the natural world), and wairua (interconnection and spirituality). Alongside vital interpersonal relationships, these extrapersonal connections are substantial to the development of an indigenous Māori self which is well and supported within a holistic framework. This article explores the extrapersonal connections outlined above, their importance to Hauora Māori and implications for the practice of psychotherapy in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Whakarāpopotonga

I te wā e warea ana te arotahi kaupapa piripono a te Uru ki te piringa whaiaro tangata ki te tangata, ko tā te Māori tirohanga piripono he whakauru i ngā here ngā whanaungatanga ki ngā āhuatanga i tua atu i te ao whaiaro. He take nunui te whānau kohinga ahurea o te Ao Māori whakakaohia ki tēnei te here ā-whānau, ā-hāpū, ā-iwi (whānau whānui me ngā rōpū hāpori), te whenua, te taiao me te wairua (ngā taura here, te waiuratanga). I tua atu o ngā here whaiaro he wāhanga tino nui tō ēnei kohinga ahurea ki te whanaketanga o te mana motuhake o te tangata whenua Māori e ora ana e tautokohia ana e te papa whānui nei. E wherawhera ana tēnei tuhinga i ngā here whakawaho kua whakaarahia i runga ake nei, te hira o ēnei ki te Hauora Māori me ngā whakahīrau mō ngā mahi hauora hinengaro i Aotearoa.