Extending the four-category model of adult attachment: An interpersonal model of friendship attachment

Abstract

Relationships among adult friendship attachment styles and levels of hope, self-disclosure, relationship satisfaction, and trust were studied to assess their validity as explanatory factors in friendship attachments in a cross-section of 268 undergraduate students at a small, private university. Significant relationships were found between attachment styles and hope, self-disclosure, and relationship satisfaction. Specifically, securely attached individuals showed significantly more hope, self-disclosure, and relationship satisfaction than individuals with fearful attachment styles. In addition, individuals with fearful attachment styles showed significantly less hope, self-disclosure, and relationship satisfaction than individuals with secure, dismissing, or preoccupied attachment styles.

The effects of adult attachment style on post‐transgression response

“…Secure attachment is derived from positive working models of self and other (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Secure adults are typically self-confident and warm, with relationships defined by intimacy, autonomy, trust, and commitment (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991;Hazan & Shaver, 1987;Webb, Call, Chickering, Colburn, & Heisler, 2006;Welch & Houser, 2010). They also report greater relationship satisfaction than insecurely attached individuals (Banse, 2004;Pistole, 1989;Stackert & Bursik, 2003).…”

Partner preferences across sexual orientations and biological sex

“…To my knowledge, this is the first research to assess differential friendship attachment and PSAnx simultaneously across sexual orientation. Although only a few studies have recently begun to assess the hierarchical nature of individuals' attachment styles (e.g., Cozzarelli et al, ; Feeney, ; Klohnen et al, ; La Guardia et al, ; Overall et al, ; Sibley & Overall, ; Smith, ; Welch & Houser, ), decades of research attests to the influence of romantic status on heterosexuals' interactions with the opposite sex (e.g., Bleske‐Rechek & Buss, ; Eastwick & Finkel, ; Fraley & Davis, ; Fuhrman et al, ; Madey, Simo, Dillworth, & Kemper, ; Maner et al, ; Meston & Frohlich, ; Miller & Maner, ; van Anders & Watson, ). As this research reveals, the expression of these psychological processes is nearly identical for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals.…”

“…Several lines of research on general versus specific models of attachment have concluded that partner-specific models of attachment have unique or stronger correlates compared to general models of attachment (e.g., Cozzarelli, Hoekstra, & Bylsma, 2000;Feeney, 2004;Klohnen, Weller, Luo, & Choe, 2005;La Guardia, Ryan, Couchman, & Deci, 2000;Overall, Fletcher, & Friesen, 2003;Sibley & Overall, 2008;Smith, 2009;Welch & Houser, 2010). Not only are individuals' attachment styles more specific than they are general, but their hierarchical nature may shift based on situational factors.…”

Attachment to friends and psychosocial well‐being: The role of emotion regulation

“…Of particular importance, attachment to friends explains unique variance in psychosocial outcomes beyond that accounted for by caregiver and romantic attachment (Goh & Wilkinson, 2007). Secure attachment to friends is associated with better psychosocial adjustment, including mental health, hope, and relationship satisfaction (Raja, McGee, & Stanton, 1992;Welch & Houser, 2010). In contrast, insecure attachment to friends predicts psychological distress, and is associated with low well-being (Goh & Wilkinson, 2007;Laible, Carlo, & Raffaelli, 2000), poor self-esteem (Wilkinson & Parry, 2004), and interpersonal functioning (Welch & Houser, 2010), and less capacity for intimacy (Chow, Ruhl, & Buhrmester, 2016).…”

“…In summary, increasing evidence suggests that insecure attachment to friends undermines mental health and interpersonal functioning (e.g., Chow et al, 2016;Goh & Wilkinson, 2007;Welch & Houser, 2010), though the mechanisms underlying these associations have received less attention. Given that emotion dysregulation is frequently implicated in the association between attachment insecurity and poor psychosocial adjustment (Creasey et al, 1999;Marganska et al, 2013;Pepping et al, 2013;Wei, Vogel, et al, 2005), we argue that emotion dysregulation may also underlie the association between attachment insecurity in the context of close friendships and poor psychosocial adjustment.…”