Patterns and Universals of Adult Romantic Attachment Across 62 Cultural Regions

Abstract

As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, a total of 17,804 participants from 62 cultural regions completedthe RelationshipQuestionnaire(RQ), a self-reportmeasure of adult romanticattachment. Correlational analyses within each culture suggested that the Model of Self and the Model of Other scales of the RQ were psychometrically valid within most cultures. Contrary to expectations, the Model of Self and Model of Other dimensions of the RQ did not underlie the four-category model of attachment in the same way across all cultures. Analyses of specific attachment styles revealed that secure romantic attachment was normative in 79% of cultures and that preoccupied romantic attachment was particularly prevalent in East Asian cultures. Finally, the romantic attachment profiles of individual nations were correlated with sociocultural indicators in ways that supported evolutionary theories of romantic attachment and basic human mating strategies.

Attachment Styles and Parasocial Relationships: A Collectivist Society Perspective

“…We postulate that we will find a high preponderance of insecures in the form of anxious-amb ivalents and avoidants due to the collectiv ist nature of the Kuwaiti culture. Th is is analogous to what was previously observed in the study of collectivist societies in Schmitt et al (2004). In our study, the predominance of insecures is anticipated because many Kuwait is, and those living in Kuwait, are expected not to form strong bonds outside of family with friends or possible romantic partners so this may serve as a primary factor which may lead to insecurity.…”

“…These results were further validated by the Schmitt, et al, (2004) study that was conducted with researchers across 62 countries. In this large cross-cultural investigation, student samples fro m Asia, South America, Western Nations, the Middle East, and Africa were included.…”

A Question of Fit: Cultural and Individual Differences in Interpersonal Justice Perceptions

“…Instead, it may be that what is defined as 'insecure' in Western contexts is closer to the norm, or at least is not considered dysfunctional, in more collectivistic contexts. Indeed, in Southern (and South-east) Asia, individuals tend to report higher mean levels of anxious attachment in close relationships compared with Western individuals (Schmitt et al 2004). Furthermore, recent critiques point to the fact that dominant conceptualizations of attachment theory are based on normative, middle-class Western ideals of attachment and 'healthy', or secure, relationships (Rothbaum et al, 2000).…”

“…The attachment construct is considered universally valid based on research replicating the bidimensional structure of attachment anxiety and avoidance across multiple national cultures (Schmitt et al, 2004). Initial evidence also suggests that attachment orientations may have consistent effects on relationship dynamics in contexts beyond the Western settings traditionally studied.…”

Spanish version of the Psychosis Attachment Measure: adaptation process and psychometric properties - Proceso de adaptación al español y propiedades psicométricas de la Psychosis Attachment Measure

“…33 The RQ is based on Bartholomew's 34 attachment model, which conceptualizes four prototypes of adult attachment based on the intersec-tion of two underlying dimensions, model of self (or anxiety) and model of others (or avoidance). The RQ consists of four paragraphs, each describing a prototype of adult attachment: Secure (low avoidance, low anxiety), Dismissing (high avoidance, low anxiety), Preoccupied (low avoidance, high anxiety), and Fearful (high avoidance, high anxiety).…”