Attachment in Late Adolescence: Working Models, Affect Regulation, and Representations of Self and Others

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the coherence of attachment organization during late adolescence. In a sample of 53 first-year college students, 3 kinds of working models of attachment were assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview: Dismissing of Attachment, Secure, and Preoccupied with Attachment. Affect regulation was evaluated with peer Q-sort ratings of Ego-Resiliency, Ego-Undercontrol, Hostility, and Anxiety, and representations of self and others were assessed with self-report measures of distress, perceived competence, and social support. The Secure group was rated as more ego-resilient, less anxious, and less hostile by peers and reported little distress and high levels of social support. The Dismissing group was rated low on ego-resilience and higher on hostility by peers and reported more distant relationships in terms of more loneliness and low levels of social support from family. The Preoccupied group was viewed as less ego-resilient and more anxious by peers and reported high levels of personal distress, while viewing their family as more supportive than the Dismissing group. These findings are interpreted in terms of different styles of affect regulation and representational bias associated with particular working models of attachment.

Daily goal progress is facilitated by spousal support and promotes psychological, physical, and relational well-being throughout adulthood.

“…Attachment orientation includes general beliefs about oneself and others and preferences in relationships (Bowlby, 1969/1982/1973/1980; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985). Attachment anxiety reflects a concern about being rejected, abandoned, or unloved; views of the self as being unacceptable/unworthy; and views of others as being available only occasionally or contingently (e.g., Hazan & Shaver, 1987; Kobak & Sceery, 1988; Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007). Attachment avoidance reflects a discomfort with closeness and intimacy, as well as a belief that others cannot be relied upon when needed.…”

Contributions of attachment theory and research: A framework for future research, translation, and policy

“…Yet given evidence that the link between attachment security and healthy functioning continues to exist in adolescence (Dykas, Ziv, & Cassidy, 2008; Kobak & Sceery, 1988; see Allen, 2008, for a review), increasing adolescent attachment security may also be an effective means of reducing adolescent problems. In other words, does an intervention focused on the adolescent-parent attachment relationship increase the likelihood of reduced problematic adolescent behavior?…”

Infant negative affect and maternal interactive behavior during the still-face procedure: the moderating role of adult attachment states of mind

“…Distinct parenting correlates associated with dismissing and preoccupied states of mind might be expected based on the notion of distinct emotional and behavioral regulation strategies in the service of the attachment system (Main, 1990). Reflecting the idea that attachment theory may be viewed as a theory of affect regulation (Kobak, 1986; Sroufe & Waters, 1977), Kobak and colleagues (Kobak & Sceery, 1988; Kobak et al, 1993) theorized that emotional and interpersonal differences between dismissing and preoccupied individuals could be understood in terms of the emotion regulation strategies of deactivation and hyperactivation, respectively. Whereas insecure dismissing individuals are theorized to display a pattern of emotional deactivation to minimize or restrict access to attachment memories, thoughts, and feelings, insecure preoccupied individuals are theorized to display a pattern of hyperactivation, characterized in part by uncontrolled, angry, and emotionally entangled discourse that interferes from achieving a balanced perspective on self and parents.…”