Effects Of Adult Attachment Styles On American College Students Over Time : A Meta Analysis Of Personality And Social Psychology

How the attachment theory accounts for differences in the development of social relationships in aging adults?

Each attachment style is divided along two dimensions – the fear of abandonment and the fear of closeness. Bartholomew and Horowitz define fear of abandonment as the model of self which describes the belief of an individual to be either “worthy of love and support or not” (1991). They also define fear of closeness as the model of other which describes an individual’s

Psychologist Phillip Shaver expanded upon Bowlby’s theory too and stated that the attachments formed in one’s infancy extend to adult romantic relationships (Feldman, 2011). According to Shaver, securely attached adults enter into romantic relationships confidently and happily. They also tend to be supportive and sensitive to their partner’s needs. Those who have avoidant attachment style tend to be less into relationships and feel lonelier. Ambivalent or anxiously attached adults tend to be too invested in their relationships, have low self-esteem, and often are intrusive rather then helpful when

Brennan, Kelly A., Clark, Catherine L., & Shaver, Phillip, R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrated overview. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (46-76). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Fraley (2002) completed a meta analysis of studies concerning attachment in order to investigate the level of attachment pattern’s continuity throughout life. The study indicated that there was a certain stability of the attachment pattern, and that the stability is independent of time. Even though it is theorized that a secure pattern will be likely to stay unchanged, it is still indicated that experiences such as bad relationships will be able to change the attachment pattern (Fraley,

Attachment-based relationships stem from attachment behaviour, which is conceived as any form of behaviour that results in a person attempting, or retaining proximity to some other differentiated and preferred individual, who is usually perceived as stronger or wiser (Ainsworth, 1985). These relationships have a strong connection with the development, functioning, and well-being across the lifespan, in both parent-child relationships, and adult relationships. This essay sets out to display and prove the positive relationship between secure attachment relationships and positive development, well-being, and functioning, across the lifespan.

Researchers have begun to use attachment theory, as a framework for understanding interpersonal and emotional outcomes of adults. Attachment theory also creates, an understanding of how parent relationships, affects a child’s early physiological development throughout adult-hood. In the past, research done on father -child relationships, has generally, focused on the attachment the child develops, when the father is absent in the child’s early stages of development. In my research, I found recent studies, performed on father-child relationships, and how secure attachment bonds are developed, when the father is not only present, but positively active in the child’s life. The active presence of a father during the first years of a child’s life are important in the development of the child’s social skills. This topic was specifically close to heart, because my father was an absent alcoholic drug addict for the first ten years of my life. He has been sober now for nine years, and I wonder how his absence and sobriety have affect my attachment bonds and social skills.

Three predominant styles of attachment, secure, insecure-anxious and insecure-avoidant reflect expectations about the reliability and availability of attachment figures (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). Individuals who portray secure attachment styles tend to value relationships that provide trust, comfort, and availability. In contrast, individuals with insecure-avoidant or insecure-anxious styles of attachment have difficulty recognizing, acknowledging, and/or valuing secure-based relationships. Avoidant individuals experience discomfort when becoming close with others. In contrast, insecure-anxious individuals report relationships as a threat,

Attachment theory is accepted by most psychologists and psychiatrists as the best explanation for how we develop the capacity to form relationships with others and relate to our environment. It asserts that the methods we use to relate to others, manage our needs, express our demands, and shape our expectations for the world are rooted in our relationships with our early caregivers. Through these interactions we learn to balance our feelings and need states with others and to establish our varying degrees of independence, dependence, power, and control. Attachment also impacts self-esteem through the experience of conflict with caregivers.

The first years of the development of an individual are the most crucial years because it more than likely determines the outcome of the individual’s adulthood. This overview of previous studies in secure attachment aims at questioning the effect of childhood secure attachment on individuals during emerging adulthood. To really understand the effect of secure attachment on adults, one must first analyze and understand the meaning and the focus of secure attachment. This research will review the original definition of secure attachment, the importance of secure attachment during childhood, the benefits it has during developmental years and emerging adulthood, as well as some negative outcomes, possible limitations, and future research

This shift in thought suggested that human beings are biologically wired for connection because attachment to others improves our chances for survival and reproductive success. This theory of attachment also introduced a new explanation for pathology: not necessarily “bad mothers,” as Bowlby suggested – but, rather, unavailable caregivers. (Ein-Dor, Reizer, Shaver, & Dotan, 2012) Within this theoretical framework there are essentially two modes of attachment: secure and insecure. Of the two, insecure attachment has long been viewed as a contributing factor to a host of maladaptive behaviors, disorders, and cognitions (Ein-Dor & Doron, 2015). It is seen, historically, as something that needs repair. However, new literature is shedding light on an alternative interpretation of insecure attachment. This new interpretation suggests that insecure attachment can have adaptive qualities. This new theory falls under the moniker of social defense theory. This study seeks to further the empirical support for social defense theory by hypothesizing that insecure attachment has adaptive qualities that may be beneficial to group, as well as individual,

There are three types of insecure attachment; Dismissing/avoidant attachment- an insecure attachment category, associated with experiences of rejection, Preoccupied/ ambivalent attachment- an insecure attachment category, this category is associated being overly tuned to their experiences due to parent’s inconsistency in discipline and shows of affection. And Anxious/ Fearful attachment- another insecure category associated with extreme fear usually related to a parent’s death (Santrock 2010) & (McNally, Palfai, Levine and Moore 2003). Over the past decade many researchers have studied the role of secure and insecure attachments. It is believed that secure attachments to parents in adolescent’s leads to higher self-esteem and social adjustments in adulthood, securely attached adolescents have a lower chance of being involved in problem behaviours and drug and alcohol abuse as they get older, where insecure attachments lead to an increase in depression and problem behaviours (Santrock). Studies have shown that individuals with different attachments viewed themselves and others in either positive or negative way. Secure individuals view themselves as relatively unstressed (positive) and others as supportive (positive), Insecure/fearful individuals view themselves as distressed (negative) and others as supportive (positive) and insecure/ dismissive, preoccupied

Attachment style is a profound effect not only on our emotional development, but also upon the health of our relationships. A child forms a strong emotional bond with caregivers during childhood with lifelong consequences. It is important to be aware of attachment during infancy and early childhood in order to raise secure, independent and empathetic children. A secure, trusting attachment to parents during childhood forms the basis for secure relationships and independence as adults. It affects everything from our partner selection to how well our relationships progress to, sadly, how they end. That is why recognizing our attachment pattern can help us understand our strengths and vulnerabilities in a relationship. An attachment pattern is

After reading about the adult attachment style theory, I learned that children obtain their styles from their parents/caregivers. My scores reflect that I am secure in my attachment styles. I was not surprised, I had very loving, supportive parents that never failed me or left me in times of need. They provided for me in every aspect that a parent should. I was raised in a very structured environment and that is how I parented. My scores, although not as low as what I thought, reflect I could use some work on my self-confidence and I am aware of this. I have worked on it and I have gained more self-confidence than when I started this program. I did not always lack self-confidence, this was something that happened later in life for several reasons.

The experience of entering college focuses new attention on one’s attachment relationships, specifically the revision of attachment to parents