W7 - Attachment Flashcards
What are the three components of adult attachment prototypes?
Attachment, caregiving, sexual (mating).
What are the three core functions of adult attachment relationships?
Proximity seeking, safe haven, secure base.
Define the attachment behavioral system.
A biologically evolved neural program for survival, organizing attachment behaviors to achieve ‘felt security’.
What is the goal of the attachment behavioral system?
To terminate activation upon achieving security.
What do ‘working models’ in attachment consist of?
Beliefs, expectations, memories, goals, and interpersonal strategies.
What role do working models play in adult relationships?
Guide behavior, bias interpretation/storage of interactions, influence new relationships.
What are the two dimensions of adult attachment orientations?
Anxiety and avoidance.
How is ‘attachment-related anxiety’ characterized?
Desire for closeness but fear of rejection and abandonment.
How is ‘attachment-related avoidance’ characterized?
Discomfort with emotional closeness, preference for self-reliance.
What attachment style reflects low anxiety and low avoidance?
Secure attachment.
Which attachment style prioritizes independence and avoids closeness?
Dismissing-avoidant.
Which attachment style seeks excessive closeness and validation from others?
Preoccupied.
Describe fearful-avoidant attachment.
Avoids intimacy due to fear of rejection but desires closeness.
What tool is used to assess adult attachment orientations?
Brennan et al.’s Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR).
What are the main dimensions measured by the ECR?
Attachment-related anxiety and avoidance.
What are the psychometric properties of the ECR?
High reliability, modest correlation with Big Five traits.
What is a critique of the ECR Anxiety scale?
Acquiescence bias due to only one reverse-scored item.
Why is ECR less precise for highly secure individuals?
It lacks sensitivity in measuring high levels of attachment security.
What is security priming in attachment research?
Activating mental representations of security to test causality.
What are the effects of security priming?
Enhanced relational behaviors, reduced defensiveness, improved perceptions.
Name one historical model of adult attachment with three categories.
Hazan & Shaver’s model (1987).
Name the four attachment categories in Bartholomew’s model.
Secure, preoccupied, dismissing, fearful.
What is the primary critique of categorical attachment models?
Low stability and inability to capture variations.
How do dimensional models improve upon categorical models?
By using continuous scales for greater variation capture.
What are the three stages in the development of romantic relationships?
Initiation, maintenance, dissolution.
What activities characterize the initiation stage of a romantic relationship?
Flirting, dating, self-presentation, and self-disclosure.
What processes promote relationship maintenance?
Interdependence, communication, conflict management, and caregiving.
What is the focus of the dissolution stage in romantic relationships?
Loss of interdependence and failure of stability-promoting efforts.
Name a personality trait linked to providing emotional support and trust in relationships.
Communion.
Which personality trait involves traits like dominance and assertiveness?
Agency.
How does self-control contribute to relationship stability?
By managing conflicts and exercising restraint.
What is the Ideal Standards Model in relationship formation?
Framework linking partner preferences to attachment orientations.
How does attachment-related anxiety affect partner preferences?
Prioritizes warmth and trustworthiness for long-term strategy.
What partner traits are valued by individuals with high attachment-related avoidance?
Health, attractiveness, and status/resources for short-term strategies.
How does anxiety impact responses to electronic intrusiveness in relationships?
Linked to higher intrusiveness and electronic monitoring.
What attachment orientation predicts jealousy and surveillance behaviors?
Anxiety.
What factors mediate the link between attachment insecurity and lower satisfaction?
Relationship self-efficacy, duration, and conflict resolution.
How does attachment avoidance influence attitudes toward infidelity?
Associated with permissive attitudes and higher likelihood of infidelity.
What is the ‘weak link’ effect in relationships?
The least secure partner strongly impacts relationship quality.
What is the buffering effect in attachment theory?
Secure partners can mitigate the effects of insecure attachment in the other.
What is the relationship between initial marital satisfaction and dissolution risk?
High initial satisfaction reduces the likelihood of dissolution.
Why are attachment orientations better predictors of relationship quality than Big Five traits?
They explain a greater variance in relationship quality (21% vs. 5%).
How do changes in attachment security affect relationship quality?
Fluctuations in attachment insecurity negatively impact quality.
What are two therapy techniques to promote attachment security?
Emotion-focused therapy and security priming.
