Attachment features and functions in adult romantic relationships (original) (raw)
Related papers
Personal Relationships, 2000
Two lines of research on adult attachment have emerged; both are based on Bowlby and Ainsworth's attachment theory, which in turn relies on evolutionary theory. Investigators in one tradition use the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) to assess "state of mind with respect to attachment." The AAI has been validated primarily by its ability to predict the attachment classification of an interviewee's child in Ainsworths "strange situation." Investigators in the second tradition use self-report measures to assess romantic "attachment style." The self-report measures have been validated by their ability to predict features of romantic/marital relationships. Although the two constructs. state of mind and romantic attachment, are importantly different and so would not be expected to relate highly, some of their components, especially ability to depend on attachment figures, should be related if both stem from a person's attachment history. We report associations between components, or aspects, of the two measures. Overlap occurs mainly in the areas of comfort depending on attachment figures and comfort serving as an attachment figure for others. Implications of the findings for attachment theory and research, as well as for evolutionary psychology, are discussed.
Adult attachment and romantic partner preference: A review
Journal of Social and Personal …, 2009
In this literature review we explore inconsistencies in studies relating self-reported adult attachment to romantic partner preference. Such studies have tested one of three hypotheses: that individuals prefer partners with a similar attachment style, a complementary attachment style, or the attachment style most likely to offer attachment security. Consistent with all hypotheses, secure individuals prefer similarly secure partners. Discrepancies are found, however, regarding insecure individuals' preferences. Evidence supporting similarity and attachment-security hypotheses is primarily reported in research on attraction to hypothetical partners. Evidence supporting the complementarity hypothesis comes from research on matching between partners in long-term relationships. We suggest that individuals' working model of other may be more salient during initial attraction, whereas individuals' working model of self may be more salient during relationship maintenance. We discuss these findings, focusing on individuals' needs for self-enhancement and self-consistency in relation to partner preference and attachment style.
Adult Attachment, Working Models, and Relationship Quality in Dating Couples
Three studies were conducted to examine the correlates of adult attachment. In Study 1, an 18-item scale to measure adult attachment style dimensions was developed based on Kazan and Shaver's (1987) categorical measure. Factor analyses revealed three dimensions underlying this measure: the extent to which an individual is comfortable with closeness, feels he or she can depend on others, and is anxious or fearful about such things as being abandoned or unloved. Study 2 explored the relation between these attachment dimensions and working models of self and others. Attachment dimensions were found to be related to self-esteem, expressiveness, instrumentality, trust in others, beliefs about human nature, and styles of loving. Study 3 explored the role of attachment style dimensions in three aspects of ongoing dating relationships: partner matching on attachment dimensions; similarity between the attachment of one's partner and caregiving style of one's parents; and relationship quality, including communication, trust, and satisfaction. Evidence was obtained for partner matching and for similarity between one's partner and one's parents, particularly for one's opposite-sex parent. Dimensions of attachment style were strongly related to how each partner perceived the relationship, although the dimension of attachment that best predicted quality differed for men and women. For women, the extent to which their partner was comfortable with closeness was the best predictor of relationship quality, whereas the best predictor for men was the extent to which their partner was anxious about being abandoned or unloved.
Journal of Adolescence, 2001
This study examined attachment security and commitment as predictors of relationship stability in a sample of 51 couples. Attachment and commitment were measured during the Fall and Spring semesters prior to graduation from college and relationship stability was determined by contacting couples approximately one year following graduation from college. Attachment security was measured as a relationship construct (appraisal of the dating partner's availability and responsiveness). Attachment security increased with the length of time in the dating relationship and predicted relationship stability following graduation. We then considered how personality and family of origin factors contributed to positive trajectories within the dating relationship (i.e. the growth of attachment security, commitment and relationship stability). Males' security with their mothers and fathers and reports of open communication between their parents contributed to growth in attachment security and commitment between the Fall and Spring semesters. Attachment styles (assessed as a measure of personality) also predicted relationship stability with both males' and females' security increasing the relationship stability one year after graduation. Implications for understanding attachment as both a personality and relationship construct in adult romantic relationships are discussed.
Influence of family of origin and adult romantic partners on romantic attachment security
Journal of Family Psychology, 2008
According to attachment theory, attachment security or attachment style derives from social experiences that begin early in life and continue into the adult years. In this study we examined these expectations by examining associations between the quality of observed interaction patterns in the family of origin during adolescence and self-reported romantic attachment style and observed romantic relationship behaviors in adulthood (at ages 25 and 27). Family and romantic relationship interactions were rated by trained observers from video recordings of structured conversation tasks. Attachment style was assessed with items from Griffin and Bartholomew's (1994) Relationship Scales Questionnaire. Observational ratings of warmth and sensitivity in family interactions were positively related to similar behaviors by romantic partners and to self-reported attachment security. In addition, romantic interactions characterized by high warmth and low hostility at age 25 predicted greater attachment security at 27, after controlling for attachment security at age 25. However, attachment security at age 25 did not predict later romantic relationship interactions after controlling for earlier interactions. These findings underscore the importance of social experiences in close relationships for the development of romantic attachment security but they are inconsistent with the theoretical expectation that attachment security will predict the quality of interactions in romantic unions. Beginning with Bowlby's (1969/1982) seminal theoretical work, the study of attachment has progressed along two fairly independent trajectories (described by Simpson & Rholes, 1998, and Mikulincer & Shaver, 2003). One line of research has focused on the attachment relationship between child and parent, primarily in infancy but also as late as adolescence (e.g., Allen & Land, 1999). The other line of research has focused on the attachment dynamics of adult romantic and marital relationships (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2003, 2007). The present report focuses on self-reported romantic attachment security in adult romantic relationships and the degree to which it is linked to experiences in attachment relationships with parents and romantic partners (e.g., Bartholomew, 1990; Bretherton & Munholland, 1999). Mikulincer and Shaver (2003, 2007) have summarized much of the research on attachment processes in terms of a three-component model of what Bowlby (1969/1982) called the attachment behavioral system. According to this model, threats activate the attachment system and cause a person to notice the presence or absence ("availability" and "responsiveness") of Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication.
2012
This research examines adult attachment and the investment model. Study 1 tests anxiety and avoidance predicting romantic relationship commitment, mediated by satisfaction, alternatives, and investments. Additional studies added outcomes of relationship maintenance (Study 2) and persistence (Study 3). In all 3 studies, satisfaction, alternatives, and investments mediated the associations between anxiety and avoidance and relationship commitment. A direct effect of avoidance on commitment remained. The investment model variables mediated the effect of anxiety and avoidance on accommodation and willingness to sacrifice (Study 2) and relationship persistence (Study 3). Direct effects remained for avoidance on accommodation and anxiety on persistence. The mediated model was supported for men and women, proximal and long-distance relationships, and college student and community samples.
Young adulthood: fluctuating “attachment bonds” at the on-set of romantic relationship
The Pharma Innovation, 2021
Attachment is a basic need of every creature which varies at different stages of life for various reasons: to survive, gain security and form a lineage. Young adulthood is a period of drastic changes which take place in every domain of life. The emotional development of young adults is totally dependent upon their parents and peer circle. But the arrival of a romantic partner, creates a change in the attachment dynamics of young adults. Holding on to this thought, the present study was undertaken to identify the occurrence of changes in the attachment style of romantically involved young adults. The sample comprised of a total of 400 college students (200 Graduates, and 200 Above Graduates) who were currently in a relationship selected using snowball sampling technique under two populations i.e. GBPUA&T, Pantnagar, and PAU, Ludhiana Universities. A self-reporting questionnaire was employed. Students were asked to submit the questionnaire anonymously in an envelope addressed to the researcher for the confidentiality of their responses. Findings reveal that graduates were seen to be having a secure attachment with parents whereas; above graduates were highly inclined towards secure peer attachment. Dismissing attachment style with peers was highly prevalent in graduates, on the contrary, above graduates were seen to be highly dismissive towards their parents.
Adult attachment style and nonverbal closeness in dating couples
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 1998
This study examined the nonverbal correlates of attachment style during interaction with a dating partner. Sixty-one heterosexual couples completed a self-report measure of attachment style and then were videotaped while discussing positive aspects of their relationships. The partners' nonverbal behaviors were coded for specific nonverbal cues and qualities theoretically associated with attachment style. A more secure attachment style was generally associated with more nonverbal closeness and a more avoidant style was generally associated with less nonverbal closeness. Contrary to expectations, individuals with a more preoccupied style were not found to engage in more intimate or "clingy" behaviors. Results provide partial support for self-reported differences between secure and insecure individuals in their preference for, and comfort with, closeness. Implications for understanding the associations between attachment style and relationship outcomes are discussed.
Measurement of adult attachment: The place of self-report and interview methodologies
Attachment & Human Development, 2002
proposal that 'attachment behavior is held to characterize human beings from the cradle to the grave' (p. 129) has spawned a large body of research applying principles of attachment theory to adult love relationships. A central and commendable goal of Shaver and Mikulincer's target article was to provide a means of bridging the conceptual gap between two lines of research within the study of love relationships within adulthood -one using coded narratives to identify adults' attachment representations with respect to childhood experience and the other using brief self-report instruments to assess adults' styles of approaching romantic relationships. Shaver and Mikulincer have done an excellent job in elaborating the research on adult romantic attachment. It is notable, however, that they provided few direct comparisons of research ndings using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the romantic attachment questionnaires. Such comparisons would be important in bridging the areas and in understanding conceptual similarities and differences between these two measures. Thus, the focus of this commentary will be to compare the research ndings from studies in the two traditions. As discussed below, the two different methodologies may lead to systematic differences in how individuals' attachment status is classi ed, speci cally with regard to assessment of individuals who in the AAI would be classi ed as secure, preoccupied, dismissing, or unresolved. Such differences indicate that studies using the two methodologies may not be comparing like with like. Thus, we begin by clarifying some of the potentially critical differences in how the two assessment methodologies assess individuals' attachment status followed by a comparison of ndings in the two research traditions. To begin, as Shaver and Mikulincer discuss, the AAI assessment of adults' attachment representations and the self-report assessment of adult romantic attachment styles are both grounded in theory of attachment. The early versions of these assessments were inspired by Ainsworth and her colleagues' (1978) landmark discovery of three infant attachment patterns -secure, avoidant and resistant. The AAI and self-report attachment measures differ in the aspects of adults' representation of relationships that they assess. The AAI classi cation system assesses adults' representation of attachment relationships with respect to particular close relationships, i.e. their relationship with their mother and father during childhood