Adult Attachment

Question 1

Describe romantic attachment in adulthood.

Answer 1

Attachment bonds.
Evolutionary adaptive to be attached to mate.
Four main attachment functions - secure base, safe haven, proximity maintenance, separation anxiety.
Same phases as infant attachments.

Question 2

What are internal working models?

Answer 2

Mental representations/schemas of relationship.
Self + other.
Guide expectations and behaviour.
Nature of experiences with primary caregivers - internal working models - attachment style.
Schemas persist over time and applied to new people (but can be changed) - stability.

Question 3

Name some heritability aspects of adult attachment.

Answer 3

Heritability aspect might be connected to neuroticism levels.

Question 4

Describe some characteristics of high avoidance compared to low avoidance in adult attachment.

Answer 4

Rejecting/neglectful care.
No genetic component.
Suppress emotions, self-reliance, defensive discomfort with intimacy.

Question 5

Describe some characteristics of high anxiety compared to low anxiety in adult attachment.

Answer 5

Inconsistent/overprotective care.
40% heritable.
Clingy, fear abandonment, difficulty regulating emotions.

Question 6

Name the four main dimensions of adult attachment.

Answer 6

Preoccupied - low avoidance, high anxiety.
Secure - low avoidance, low anxiety.
Fearful avoidant - high anxiety, high avoidance (e.g. scared of intimacy, can’t regulate emotions, associated with mental health issues).
Dismissing avoidant - high avoidance, low anxiety.

Question 7

Briefly explain the attachment system activation and functioning in adulthood (Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007).

Answer 7

Signs of threat - activation of the attachment system - seeking proximity to external or internalised attachment figure.
Is attachment figure available, attentive, responsive?
Yes - felt security, relief, positive effect - broaden-and-build cycle of attachment security.
No - attachment insecurity - is promixity-seeking a viable option?
No (avoidant attachment) - deactivating strategies - distancing of threat-and-attachment related cues.
Yes (anxious attachment) - hyperactive strategies - hypervigiliance regarding threat-and attachment-related cues.

Question 8

What are some limitations of the attachment system activation and functioning in adulthood (Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007)?

Answer 8

What if someone is high on both anxiety and avoidance?

People don’t rely consistently on one strategy.

Question 9

How can you measure individual differences in adult attachment?

Answer 9

Likert scale - half the items measures avoidance, the other half measures anxiety.

Question 10

Explain the differences in attachment system activation in adulthood for reaction time.

Answer 10

Threat leads to faster reaction times to attachment figure names.
Attachment anxiety - faster reaction times (hyperactivation).
Attach avoidance - slower reaction times (deactivation).

Question 11

Briefly explain the hierarchy of attachment models.

Answer 11

Global/default model splits into parents and peers.
Peers splits into friends and romantic partners.
Global model is applied to other people and situations. Correlated to mental health.
Specific models are only correlated with that particular relationship.
Romantic relationships can also be generalised - if they are long-term
In difficult situations, people can revert back to the global model.

Question 12

Briefly explain the link between attachment and personality (Gallo, Smith & Ruiz, 2003).

Answer 12

Small to moderate correlations.
Preoccupied - higher agreeableness, higher neuroticism.
Dismissing avoidant - higher openness (for women).
Secure - higher agreeableness, higher extraversion, higher conscientiousness.

Question 13

Briefly explain the link between attachment and affect regulation.

Answer 13

Security - inner resource of regulating affect, seek support when needed.
Avoidance (deactivation) - suppress emotional experience + expression, cope using interpersonal distance and self-reliance, self-esteem may dependent on being independent.
Anxiety (hyperactivation) - experience and express emotions intensely cope using interpersonal closeness and dependence, self-esteem unstable, may depend on approval/affection from others.

Question 14

Explain the link between attachment styles and communal behaviour (Sadikaj, Moskowitz & Zuroff, 2011).

Answer 14

Negative effects:
High attachment anxiety = highly affected by partner’s communal behaviour.
High attachment avoidance = not as affected. Suppressing negative effect.
Positive effects: no main effects of attachment. Anxiety not significant.
High attachment avoidance = lower positive effect of partner’s communal behaviour compared to low avoidance.

Question 15

What mental health disorders are associated with avoidance (deactivation)?

Answer 15

Eating disorders (restrictive). 
Depression (over-reliance on self). 
Cross-sectional + longitudinal evidence.

Question 16

What mental health disorders are associated with anxiety (hyperactivation)?

Answer 16

Anxiety disorders. 
Eating disorders (bingeing). 
Depression (over-reliance on others). 
Borderline personality disorders.  
Cross-sectional + longitudinal evidence.

Question 17

Briefly describe avoidance in romantic relationships.

Answer 17

Less self-disclosure. 
Low support-seeking. 
Less sensitive support. 
Less satisfied, committed and trusting. 
Ludus love style.

Question 18

Briefly describe anxiety in romantic relationships.

Answer 18

Commit quickly to a new relationship. 
Compulsive caregiving. 
More jealousy. 
More conflict. 
Mania love style.

Question 19

Explain the results from Simpson, Rholes & Nelligan’s (1992) study into support-seeking behaviour and attachment styles.

Answer 19

Anxiety - unrelated to support seeking.
Secure - more support-seeking as fear increased.
Avoidant - less support-seeking.
Women who didn’t mention the stressful situation were more avoidant.

Question 20

Is attachment insecurity evolutionarily adaptive?

Answer 20

Yes.
Insecure strategies develop to maximise protection + survival in infancy - adaptive to context.
Social defence theory: adaptive for groups to include insecure as well as secure members to deal with three.;
1. Anxiety - sentinel behaviour - faster threat detection - hypervigilant.
2. Avoidance - rapid fight or flight behaviour - faster action - not distracted by attachment.
Study timing RTs + time to leave the room when computer was setting on fire.

Question 21

Explain some changes that can occur regarding attachment styles.

Answer 21

Anxiety levels decrease with age.
Avoidance levels are lower when in a long-term relationship.
Security levels decrease after a break-up but increase across the transition to motherhood.
Relationship with secure partner or therapist.
Security can be primed subliminally activating secure base representations - reduces state insecurity, influences information processing.