Adult attachment and romantic partner preference: A review

Holmes, Bjarne; Johnson, Kimberly R.

doi:10.1177/0265407509345653

Cited by 89 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Avoidant-dismissing individuals are characterised by high avoidance and low anxiety. While they have a positive model of the self, they have a negative evaluation of others as depending and needy, perhaps reflecting their discomfort with intimacy [21]. Anxious-preoccupied individuals are characterised by high anxiety and low avoidance, view themselves as unworthy and are preoccupied with the need to be accepted by others [20] [21].…”

Section: Theoretical Issues In Attachment Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using this model combined with Brennan et al's [19] anxiety and avoidance dimensions, more recent research assessed attachment style as being continuous rather than categorical in nature [47] [48]. While these approaches are all highly related, attachment classifications across measures do not always correlate [8] [21]. Both the categorical and dimensional approaches are meaningful ways of looking at attachment and one has not been found to be more powerful than the other [49] [50].…”

Section: Theoretical Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study, it is not possible to make inferences about the causal direction of the relationships under examination. Therefore, future research could benefit from the use of longitudinal studies which may offer insight into how early parenting behaviours act as predictors of later relationship functioning while also monitoring changes in an individual's internal working model of attachment over time [13] [21]. Furthermore, while Hazan and Shaver's [12] Adjective Checklist was useful for gaining an insight into more general positive or negative perceptions of parents in childhood, future research could incorporate the use of the AAI to provide a more in-depth examination of participants' mental representations of early attach-ment experiences with parents [22].…”

Section: Theoretical Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Association between Adult Attachment Styles in Romantic Relationships, Perceptions of Parents from Childhood and Relationship Satisfaction

Gleeson¹,

Fitzgerald²

2014

Health

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Little research has examined how attachment styles in childhood are related to current romantic relationship experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the association between perceptions of childhood experiences with parents, attachment styles in romantic relationships, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of young adults. The sample consisted of 227 participants, 153 of which were university students and the remaining 69 were members of the general population. Of these, 177 (78%) were female and 50 (22%) were male, with an age range of 18 -39. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures assessing their attachment style in romantic relationships, satisfaction in their current romantic relationship, and an adjective checklist describing their parents and their parent's relationship with each other. The majority of males had an avoidant-fearful style, while females tended to have an avoidant-fearful or secure style. Findings were that participants' descriptions of their mother, father, and parental relationship were associated with their attachment style. In terms of a current romantic relationship, those with a secure attachment style were much more likely to be in a relationship whereas those with an avoidant-fearful style were not. Secure participants were more satisfied in their relationships than the insecure styles of attachment. Finally, chi-square tests revealed that there was no association between gender and attachment style. Results were discussed in terms of methodological limitations such as the use of self-report measures; theoretical weaknesses for example the variability in the approaches used in attachment research; and future research, which included the use of longitudinal studies which may offer insight into how early parenting behaviours act as predictors of later relationship functioning.G. Gleeson, A. Fitzgerald 1644

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Section: Theoretical Issues In Attachment Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring the Association between Adult Attachment Styles in Romantic Relationships, Perceptions of Parents from Childhood and Relationship Satisfaction

Gleeson¹,

Fitzgerald²

2014

Health

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“…Finding someone to share life with in a long lasting and stable partnership is a key social process, many adults aim to establish (Holmes & Johnson, 2009). Romantic relationships play a central role in adults" lives and are associated with all kinds of outcome, such as wellbeing (Musick & Bumpass, 2012;Soons & Liefbroer, 2008;Soons, Liefbroer, & Kalmijn, 2009), health (Musick & Bumpass, 2012), and mortality (Drefahl, 2012).…”

Section: Romantic Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The long reach of childhood. Childhood experiences influence close relationships and loneliness across life

Merz

Jak

2013

Advances in Life Course Research

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This paper intends to gain insight into the role of childhood relationships and experiences within the parental home for the formation and meaning of later family relationships and loneliness. Particularly, childhood attachment to mother and father and stressful childhood experiences were studied in their association with satisfaction in the romantic relationship, the quality of adult family ties and the perceived quality of the social network, i.e. loneliness in adulthood. Based on data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (N = 3,980) structural equation models were estimated to predict adult relationships and loneliness with childhood experiences. Positive attachment experiences with parents, such as reliability, closeness and supportiveness during childhood were associated with greater satisfaction in the romantic relationship, stronger family ties and higher quality in the social network, i.e. less loneliness, whereas stressful childhood experiences, such as conflicts and violence negatively predicted the quality of adult relationships. Life span theoretical perspectives, such as attachment theory are discussed as useful unifying framework to study social relationships, their interconnectedness and association with outcome during all phases of life.The long reach of childhood 3

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“…On the one hand, there are some studies where the structural coupling hypothesis among secure individuals seems to have been confirmed, with little proof of romantic relationships which are characterized, even at the level of preference, from anxious-anxious and avoidant-avoidant coupling in respect to avoidant-ambivalent coupling (e.g. Collins & Reed, 1990;Kirkpatrick & Davis, 1994;Pietromonaco & Carnelley, 1994;Holmes & Johnson, 2009;Strauss et al 2012). On the other hand, other studies have shown inconsistencies in respect to the theory.…”

Section: From Behavioral Attachment System To Structural Couplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Abuse in Intimate Relationships: From Structural Coupling Theory to Emergence of Couple System

Condorelli¹

2017

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Is love predictable in its choices? Linear Determinism, Randomness or Complexity? By applying theoretical coordinates of current sociological interpretations of intimacy and conceptual categories of New General System Theory, the paper reflects on one-factor and linear determinism implicitly underlying mate selection processes in Structural Coupling Theory and its implications for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Assuming personality structure as the predictor of partner choice as well as victimization risk, SCT circumscribes victimization risk just to one category of women (insecure/avoidant women coupling with ambivalent partners). We propose that adaptive complex system and non-banal machine concepts are more effective to understand the mate selection process than linear deterministic approach, which appears too mechanistic for a process that exhibits an inextricable dimension of uncertainty and unpredictability. Research results on a sample of 100 victims of IPV do not corroborate the linear one-factor determinism underlying Structural Coupling Theory neither its implications. Rather they go in the direction of Complexity.

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Adult attachment and romantic partner preference: A review

Cited by 89 publications

References 50 publications

Exploring the Association between Adult Attachment Styles in Romantic Relationships, Perceptions of Parents from Childhood and Relationship Satisfaction

Exploring the Association between Adult Attachment Styles in Romantic Relationships, Perceptions of Parents from Childhood and Relationship Satisfaction

The long reach of childhood. Childhood experiences influence close relationships and loneliness across life

Gender Abuse in Intimate Relationships: From Structural Coupling Theory to Emergence of Couple System

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