textbook 2 Flashcards
How do attachment orientations change over time?
Anxiety was relatively stable throughout adolescence and young adulthood before declining through middle age and older adulthood
Men showed more dramatic declines in anxiety
Avoidance declined in a linear fashion across the life span
Men were higher than women in avoidance overall
Being in a relationship was associated with greater attachment security over time
early life anxiety
Because of these shifting roles and new experience, adolescents may experience higher and more stable levels of anxiety, as they are unsure about the reliability of availability of new relationship partners
middle life
Social responsibility increases attachment security; individuals in relationships had lower levels of anxiety and avoidance across middle age
later life
Declines in anxiety and avoidance may reflect efforts of older adults to become closer to their close friends and family
Investment in close relationships can change psychological characteristics, one can make specific predictions about how attachment anxiety change over time
Investing in close relationships decrease anxiety
Close relationships facilitate and demand increases in emotion regulation which leads to decrease in negative emotionality
Transitions in life roles also has implications for how attachment avoidance changes with age, although the evidence for age-related changes in avoidance is more mixed
Because individuation processes are heightened among adolescent and young adults avoidance is highest during these stages
Avoidance may show less mean level change across the life span but decline into older adulthood
Relationships can influence people: social norms and romantic partners reward appropriate behavior and admonish inappropriate behavior
By investing in these social roles, individuals adhere to rules and appropriate behavior of close relationships and may change how they approach relationships accordingly, becoming more secure
