When Love Just Ends: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Dysfunctional Behaviors, Attachment Styles, Gender, and Education Shortly After a Relationship Dissolution

Abstract

Much information is known about the long-term consequences of separation and divorce, whereas there is a paucity of studies about the short-term consequences of such experiences. This study investigates the adoption of dysfunctional behaviors (e.g., insistent telephone calls and text messages, verbal threats, and sending unwanted objects) shortly after a relationship dissolution. A total of 136 participants who declared to have been left by their former partner in the previous 6 months were included in this study (i.e., females: n = 84; males: n = 52; mean age = 30.38; SD = 4.19). Attachment styles were evaluated as explanatory variables when facing a relationship dissolution, in connection with a set of (1) demographic variables (i.e., gender, education, and current marital/relationship status), (2) dysfunctional behaviors, and (3) motivations on the basis of those behaviors. Results showed that a secure or dismissing attachment style, a higher education, and currently married (but awaiting separation) status were the protective factors in adopting such dysfunctional behaviors, while the preoccupied and fearful-avoidant subjects, especially females, tended to adopt dysfunctional behaviors (i.e., communication attempts and defamation) and reported fear of abandonment and need for attention as underlying motivations. Future study on longitudinal aspects of the relationship dissolution processes is required to have deeper insights into this phenomenon. This study sheds light on the relationship between adult attachment styles and the motivations behind the adoption of dysfunctional behaviors after a relationship dissolution.

Empirical Indicators of the Relationship between Attachment Style and Attitude to Love in Early Maturity

“…Avoidant attachment style (3%) is an indicator of isolation and detachment from love and partner. In a study by the Italian psychologist H. Civilotti, men, on the contrary, showed belonging to the avoidant attachment style, while among women, the anxious attachment style prevailed [21]. Such differences may be conditioned by the difference in the mentality of Ukrainian and Italian men.…”

Cognitive mechanisms in a sample of detained stalkers: Evaluation of dissociative tendencies, impaired reflective function, and ruminative thought.

“…As a consequence, emotional deprivation may lead to a mentalization deficit (Frith & Frith, 1999) and a deep wound regarding the fear of abandonement (Liotti & Gilbert, 2011) linked to a compromised behavioral modulation. In other words, the inability to imagine others' mental states could remove the natural barrier that inhibits behavior that violates others' rights, especially when they ventilate the possibility of a relationship dissolution (Civilotti et al, 2021).…”

The Influence of Offender Motivation on Unwanted Pursuit Perpetration Among College Students

“…The divergence in findings may be due to our measure of mental health, which was a brief instrument designed to gage general mental wellbeing. Previous studies have used clinical and personality measures that assess a broader and more nuanced continuum of mental health (Civilotti et al, 2021;Ménard & Pincus, 2012;Patton et al, 2010). Alternatively, the divergent findings may be because previous research documenting worse mental health among women who stalk are derived primarily from clinical and forensic studies, wherein participants likely had more serious mental health problems due to the selective nature of the data.…”

“…These potential motivating factors may be exacerbated among those with mental health problems or those who have been victimized. Research consistently finds an association between poor mental health and stalking perpetration (Brooks et al, 2021;Civilotti et al, 2020Civilotti et al, , 2021Davis et al, 2000;Patton et al, 2010). For instance, a study of 137 stalking offenders found 72% met diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder with high rates of comorbidity, especially for personality disorders and substance abuse (Nijdam-Jones et al, 2018).…”