Adult attachment and emotional control

Abstract

The connection between attachment style and affect regulation, proposed by attachment theorists, was explored in the context of long‐term dating relationships. Seventy‐two couples completed questionnaire measures of attachment (using a four‐group forced‐choice item, together with scales tapping Comfort with closeness, and Anxiety over relationships) and emotional control (in which subjects rated own and partner's control of anger, sadness, and anxiety, and the extent to which partners wanted them to control these emotions). Couples in which both partners endorsed insecure attachment styles (using the forced‐choice measure) reported greater emotional control than did couples with two secure partners. Data from the attachment scales also supported the link between insecure attachment and emotional control: Comfort with closeness was negatively related both to one's own emotional control and to perceptions that partners wanted subjects to control their sadness; Anxiety over relationships was associated with perceptions that partners controlled sadness and wanted subjects to control their anger and sadness. The link between insecure attachment and the control of negative emotion remained significant when the frequency of experiencing such emotion was controlled. The association between attachment dimensions and other responses to negative emotions was also explored, and was consistent with attachment theory.

Effects of Adult Attachment Styles on Emotional Experiences in Marital Relationships and Evaluations of the Relationships in Middle-age Couples

“…Brennan, et al, 1998;Collins & Feeney, 2000;Collins & Read, 1990;Feeney, 1995Feeney, , 1999Rholes, Simpson, & Friedman, 2006;Shaver, Schachner, & Mikulincer, 2005;Zeifman & Hazan, 2000Shaver & Hazan (1988) (2008, 2009 …”

Early Adult Attachment Styles, Emotional Regulation and Sensitivity, and Interpersonal Stress Coping

“…Feeney (1995) (Ainsworth et al, 1978) (Feeney, 1999) (Simpson et al, 1992(Simpson et al, , 1996 The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among early adult attachment styles, emotional regulation, and interpersonal stress coping. In Study 1, the relationship between early adult attachment styles and emotional regulation was examined with 460 undergraduates.…”

Affective Processing Following Romantic Relationship Dissolution

“…In general, the available evidence suggests that secure individuals fare better following stressful life events due to their ability to more effectively regulate their emotions, especially in situations that present relationship-specific threats (Diamond, 2001;Feeney, 1995;Kobak & Screery, 1988;Mikulincer et al, 1990;Simpson & Rholes, 1998).…”

“…In a recent review of normative attachment theory, Diamond (2001) integrated a large amount of literature to suggest that the primary function of adult love relationships is emotion regulation. Like caregiver-infant attachment, there is clear evidence that adult attachment serves to buffer individuals against stress, induce calm, and down-regulate autonomic physiological arousal (Diamond, 2001;Feeney, 1995;Reite & Boccia, 1994, Sbarra & Hazan, 2002 and that this felt-security process operates even among disaffected couples (Kobak, Hazan, & Ruckdeschel, 1995). While the data from the present study are limited with respect to their entirety of the proposed process, this model provides a useful foundation for better understanding the dynamics of separation and contact, as well as how emotional dysregulation may spur individuals to seek contact with a former partner.…”

“…These questions need to be addressed before any kind of scientifically-informed interventions for separation or divorced adults can be proffered. Attachment security, for example, is known to be associated with adaptive self-regulation following stressful events and relationship dissolution, but how these processes operate is largely unknown (Feeney, 1995;Simpson & Rholes, 1998). One possibility is that secure individuals are better able to organize their cognitive-emotional experiences and psychologically narrate the separation experience in a way that is both psychologically and physiologically calming and stress-reducing.…”