Interpersonal Relationships Flashcards
what are attachment relationships?
a unique and secure base where separation can cause distress
what is the prototype of adult attachment?
long-term romantic relationships
what are attachment behavioural systems?
a universal neural program to facilitate survival and reproduction, which establishes security
deactivation strategies
minimise attachment signals
hyperactivation strategies
maximise attachment signals
what does attachment behaviour require?
working models of person-environment transactions, similar to social schemas to guide interpersonal behaviour and relationship projections
orthogonal dimensions of attachment
anxiety and avoidance
attachment-related anxiety
strong desire for closeness and worries about their own value to their partner
use hyperactive strategies to deal with insecurity and distress
attachment-related avoidance
discomfort with dependence on partners, and prefer emotional distance and self-reliance
use deactivating strategies to cope with insecurity and distress
attachment security
low scores on anxiety and avoidance dimensions
when do attachment-relevant experiences occur?
during infancy, childhood, and adolescence, to shape prototype working models of adult attachment patterns
what has recent evidence suggested?
genetic contributions towards attachment anxiety
socialisation
environment -> person
selection
person -> environment
prototype hypothesis
experiences in earlier relationships create internal working models and attachment styles which systematically affect attachment relationships
how is attachment security priming used to test causality hypotheses?
activates mental representations of relationships (guided imagery) to examine outcomes
activating supportive attachment can encourage behaviour in line with security
what can flirting and dating cause?
feelings of failure and rejection, which activate attachment (interpersonal processes of self-presentation and self-disclosure)
self-disclosure
the reciprocal exchange of self-relevant information, which can increase in depth and breadth
how are insecure-attachment orientations varied?
anxiety-attachment individuals engage in indiscriminate disclosure whereas avoidant-individuals use low disclosure
what do mate preferences and the ideal standards model consider?
evolutionary theories of partner and relationship ideals
- warmth, commitment, and intimacy
- health, passion, and attractiveness
- status and resources
anxiety-attachment selected warmth
avoidant-attachment selected health and status
evidence of complementary patterns
insecure-attached individuals are attracted to insecure people
anxiety-attachment and formation of relationships
unpopular during speed dating, but present positively to potential dates
avoidant-attachment and formation of relationships
expectations of failure and commitment-aversive, but present superficially positive to potential dates
what does intimacy reflect?
emotional and behavioural orientations towards attachment figures, such as engaging in problem solving and disclosing private feelings
anxiety-attachment and intimacy
desire intimacy but struggle to regulate closeness and intrusiveness
insecure-attachment and intimacy
lower emotional intimacy than secure-attachments
avoidance-attachment and intimacy
perceive their partners to be more intrusive
what can insecure attachment interfere with?
commitment and relationship stability
avoidance-attachment and commitment
attraction to alternative partners and lower investments
anxiety-attachment and commitment
more investments and also ambivalence
secure-attachment and commitment
adaptively reduce commitment as required
transfer of attachment functions occurs faster for which attachment style?
anxiety-attachment over avoidance-attachment
stages of attachment function transfer
- proximity seeking (peers)
- safe haven (peers, 8-14y)
- secure base (parents)
- separation distress (parents)
what does maintenance of long-term relationships involve?
communication, conflict management, and expressing gratitude
- dyadic communication
- responding to transgressions
what do insecure attachment orientations misperceive?
signals and emotions; empathetic inaccuracy
empathetic inaccuracy
the inability to infer a partner’s thoughts and feelings correctly
avoidance- less accurate
anxiety- more accurate
more frequent SNS use was linked to…
better relationship quality
more frequent email use linked to…
greater conflict
what are jealousy and surveillance predicted by?
anxiety (mediated by trust) and low avoidance
what do insecure-attachments report?
lower daily satisfaction, moderated by duration
avoidance is more associated with men’s dissatisfaction
what doe efficacy beliefs mediate?
the attachment-satisfaction relationship
insecure-attachment and relationship stability
have shorter relationships, as likely as secure individuals to be with same romantic partner over timw
avoidance-attachment and relationship stability
more permissive attitudes towards engaging in fidelity
relationship adjustment and ghosting
ghostees had higher anxiety than those who had not been ghosted
ghosters had greater avoidance than not ghosted
partner effects in relationship adjustment
actor insecurity is associated with partner’s satisfaction
couple-type effects in relationship adjustment
secure-secure couples have greater satisfaction
