So, we're probably all in agreement that it's both situation and bond that leads to the behavior, but not that it's an OTP reading that makes the bond important to the action.

The way I understood cathexys is that she's arguing against the way OTP readings overstress the importance of the bond, and in doing so she exaggerated in the other direction. In other words, I believe the problem is entirely in the rhetoric and not in the actual interpretation.