Browsing by Subject "Attachment behavior"
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Item A new perspective on trust in marital relationships: how trust in specific areas of the relationship relates to marital satisfaction and attachment style(Texas Tech University, 2001-08) Korinek, Alan W.Trust is a multifaceted construct, one that may not be useful unless attending to the complex and unique aspects of the given individuals and their relationship. Current conceptualizations of trust are limited to a single dimension, the dimension of depth (i.e., how much global trust a person has). The goal of this dissertation was to expand the conceptualization of trust by exploring the dimension of breadth. For the purposes of the study, the Trust in Specific Areas Scale (TSAS) was created. The TSAS is an 11-item scale that assesses an individual's level of trust in 11 important areas of the relationship (Sager, 1981). A panel of experts reviewed the items as to their content validity and a pilot-test of the TSAS provided preliminary support for its internal consistency.Item Affect, proximity and well-being in mother/adult daughter relationships(Texas Tech University, 1987-08) Burnett, Nancy CummingsNot availableItem Attachment style in adult male substance abusers: psychiatric symptomatology, treatment compliance, and life adjustment(Texas Tech University, 1995-12) Gardner, Scott P.Historically, attachment theory has been used to explain differences in the way children "bond" with their primary caregiver. This bond becomes a lens through which a child looks to interact in relationships throughout his/her life. This dissertation addresses adult attachment style in adult male substance abusers and focuses on four areas affected by attachment style: the effect of attachment style on areas of life adjustment, the relation between attachment style and psychopathology, the relation between attachment style and psychopathology treatment outcomes, and the occurrence of various attachment styles in this diverse chemically dependent population. Measures included MMPI-2 clinical and personality disorder scale scores, scores on the three dimension of the Adult Attachment Scale (closeness, dependency, anxiety), staff ratings of treatment adjustment and predicted post-treatment adjustment, and a rating of prior life adjustment. The results suggest that attachment style does help explain differences in life adjustment above and beyond that explained by a composite MMPI-2 scale score (Scale A-Anxiety and Scale 7-Psychasthenia). The results further suggest that those with an insecure attachment style report fewer problems and psychological symptoms. Lastly, higher rates of avoidant attachment styles (46%) and lower rates of preoccupied attachment styles (11%) were found in this chemically dependent sample than are found in nonclinical samples. Implications for treatment and directions for future research are addressed.Item Attachment working models: assessing noncons[c]ious and self-reported components of attachment security(2006) Moller, Naomi Petra; McCarthy, Christopher J.Despite the fact that attachment working models explain why attachment security in early childhood has predictive power for later adult emotional and relational functioning, little is known about such models. For this reason the current study aimed to explore the content, structure and processes of attachment working models, specifically their affective content, impact on memory processes and semantic associations. The study incorporated four cognitive paradigms: a Chinese characters affective judgments task, a lexical decision task, a free-recall and cued-recognition memory task and a word categorization task based on the Implicit Attitudes Task (Greenwald, McGhee and Schwartz, 1998). Participants also self-reported their attachment status using scales from the Inventory of Parental and Peer Attachment (Armsden and Greenberg, 1987, 1989), the Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker, Tupling and Brown, 1979), the Attachment Style Questionnaire (Feeney, Noller and Hanrahan,1994) and a newly developed instrument, the Parental Attachment Scale (Fouladi, Moller & McCarthy, 2005). The sample consisted of undergraduate students at a southwestern university. For three of the four tasks, the hypotheses for tasks responses and associations between task performance and self-reported attachment security were not met. For the fourth word categorization task, the results did support hypotheses about task response, and evidence was therefore provided for the idea that working models of attachment security incorporate semantic associations with both positive attachment and pleasant words. Implications of the study as well as study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.Item Attachment, self, and parental acceptance-rejection in relation to adolescent personality(Texas Tech University, 1989-05) Luft, Gary A.Based on a model derived from attachment theory, self psychology, parental acceptance-rejection theory, and a psychoanalytic persective on gender issues, the interrelationships between late adolescents' perception of past attachment to parents, perception of present attachment to parents, perception of past rejection by parents, perception of self, and perception of the impact of relationship disruptions were examined. A sample of 666 college students completed a series of items that assessed their perceptions of present and past attachment to parents, of past rejection by parents, and of themselves. As predicted there was a positive association between present perception of attachment to parents (college years) and perception of past acceptance by parents (high school years). A positive association was also found between perception of relationship disruptions and negative self-concept. A prediction about a negative association between pressent perception of attachment to parents and negative self-concept was also supported. A prediction about the interaction of attachment to other and attachment to father in relation to self-perceived levels of dependency was not tested because of the inadequacy of the dependency measure. In the present study the dependency measure was not related to the other variables in a manner that was conceptually consistent with the theoretical definitions of dependency. Implications for theory and further research are discussed.Item Conflict resolution in romantic relationships: an examination of adult attachment and early attachment experience(Texas Tech University, 1999-05) Shi, LinConflict is inevitable in intimate relationships, and conflict resolution is an important predictor of relationship satisfaction. Despite thorough understanding of the cognitive-behavioral factors in conflict resolution, very little is known about characteristics individuals bring into their relationships that influence their conflict resolution pattems. The purpose of the study was to explore the individual differences in conflict resolution behaviors using attachment theory as a framework. A total of 448 undergraduate students at a large Southwestem university were assessed on aduit attachment style, conflict resolution behavior, relationship satisfaction, and early attachment experience. These constructs were measured by Multiple-Item Measure of Adult Romantic Attachment (MIMARA, Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998), Rahim Organizational Confhct Inventory-II (ROCI-II, Rahim, 1983), Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS, Hendrick, 1988), and Inventory of Parent-Peer Attachment (IPPA, Armsden & Greenberg, 1987). The results confírmed that the two attachment dimensions, Anxiety and Avoidance, were predictive of conflict resolution behaviors and relationship satisfaction, with participants who scored lower on the two attachment dimensions displaying more positive behaviors and reporting higher relationship satisfaction. Gender had much less influence on these variables than the attachment dimensions. The influence of early attachment experiences with parental figures was limited. Closeness with father figure was moderately related to a lower level of Anxiety and less of the conflict resolution behavior of Dominating. Early separation from a parental figure was associated with greater anxiety in adulthood. The distribution of adult attachment styles varied with relationship status (married, currently in serious relationship, previously in serious relationship), with more participants who were married or currently in relationship falling into the Secure category. This result suggests that relationship and attachment styles influence each other, and that adult attachment style is not static. The study was a first attempt to understand the association between attachment style and conflict resolution behavior using a more comprehensive four-category attachment measure. In general, the results of this study provide support for the association between the two. Future research should examine the influence of childfather relationship on the formation of attachment style and the distribution of the fourcategory attachment style in various populations.Item Congruence of attachment across relationships(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Wristen, Amy JoySince Bowlby developed his theory of attachment, researchers have been studying attachment as a developmental quality of individuals' functioning in relationships. The purpose of this study was to determine whether individuals maintain the same level of attachment for all attachment relationships or whether they display different levels of attachment across relationships. The sample was composed of 229 college students. Each subject completed a revised version of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment. Findings supported a developmental model of attachment over a compensatory model of attachment.Item The influence of parental bonding, male gender role conflict, and affect regulation on adult attachment avoidance : predictors of men's discomfort with intimacy(2008-08) Land, Lee Nathaniel, 1976-; Rochlen, Aaron B.Past research has indicated that masculine socialization norms contribute to avoidance of intimacy in close relationships, which has been proposed to inhibit men’s psychological adjustment. The goal of the current dissertation was to examine associations among parental bonding, gender role conflict, affect regulation capacity, and adult attachment avoidance to describe the dynamic interaction between psychological and societal influences impacting adult attachment style. The present investigation employed a developmental contextual framework used to examine attachment and psychoanalytic theories describing the evolution of characteristic male interpersonal strategies. In the current study, it was proposed that parental bonding would predict adult attachment avoidance, gender role conflict, and affect regulation capacity. It was also hypothesized that both gender role conflict and three distinct affect regulation variables would predict adult attachment avoidance. Finally, the study aimed to test a model proposing that gender role conflict and affect regulation variables mediate the relationship between parental bonding and avoidance of intimacy in romantic relationships. Two hundred and sixty-six undergraduate men completed a series of online surveys and 10 of these individuals participated in open-ended, follow-up interviews. The relationships between study variables were examined with linear regression and mediational analyses. Qualitative data regarding constructs of interest were elicited from interview respondents and interpreted for themes. Results demonstrated partial support for mediation effects, indicating that gender role conflict, emotion regulation suppression, and emotion regulation reappraisal helped to explain the association between maternal bonding care and adult attachment avoidance. In addition, interview themes related to five content areas were described and integrated with implications for future research directions and clinical applications. Results of this study identified significant mechanisms underlying the development of men’s maladaptive discomfort with intimacy in adulthood. Findings revealed through investigation of male interpersonal connections and the origins of specific emotion regulation strategies will assist researchers and clinicians to further elucidate the construct of masculinity from a developmental contextual perspective. Study outcomes indicated that masculine gender role socialization and capacity to regulate affect should be key points of intervention for therapists working with men presenting with relational difficulties linked to early parental attachments.Item Intimate identity: female and male differences(Texas Tech University, 1993-05) Terrell, Benita LouIn an effort to expand Erikson's conceptualization of the identity construct to include an attachment component and allow for the development of a view of oneself as an intimate person, an identity component labelled intimate identity was proposed in this research project. The dimension components of intimate identity are commitment, shared activities, decision-making, sexual involvement, emotional involvement, and openness. The Intimate Relationship Interview was used to measure intimate dentity in 30 women and 30 men who are college seniors involved in a serious relationship. The women's scores and the men's scores were compared on each of the dimension components using a one-way analysis of variance with age as a covariate. The outcomes show women to score significantly higher on the expressive components of intimate identity. There was no significant difference between women and men on the instrumental components and sexual involvement. The results support the idea that there is an attachment component in identity and that women and men experience themselves and others differently. The intimate identity of women is composed of expressive and instrumental dimensions and sexual involvement. The intimate identity of men is composed of instrumental dimensions and sexual involvement. The outcomes reflect the theoretical perspective of object relations, explain the relationship problems documented in literature, and support the argument that women can satisfy men's intimacy needs, but that the reverse is not true.Item Intimate relationships : adult attachment, emotion regulation, gender roles, and infidelity(2008-08) Amidon, Amy Danielle, 1977-; Sherry, Alissa RenéThis study explored individual differences in rates of infidelity by examining the associations among attachment styles, gender roles, emotion regulation strategies, and experiences of infidelity. While both indirect and direct support has been found between several of these variables when assessed separately, no known studies have examined emotion regulation as a partial mediator between attachment styles and infidelity and between gender roles and infidelity. Moreover, infidelity is still a relatively newly studied construct. The current study examined four types of infidelity and is the first known study to examine the construct of anonymous infidelity. Four hundred and six participants were recruited through the Educational Psychology subject pool, Facebook, and local newspaper ads, resulting in a predominantly college student population. A mixed methods approach was utilized and included the collection of quantitative data via a secure, online questionnaire, as well as a qualitative component examining open-ended responses from 50 participants to offer a more complete understanding of the different forms of infidelity. As predicted, path analyses revealed that individuals higher in certain attachment styles engaged in higher levels of infidelity, including emotional, combined, and anonymous infidelity. Femininity was also found to be linked to lower rates of combined infidelity. As predicted, secure attachment, preoccupied attachment, and femininity were negatively linked to the use of suppression, while fearful attachment was positively linked to the use of suppression. Surprisingly, masculinity was negatively linked with the use of suppression. Furthermore, the use of suppression was linked to higher incidents of combined infidelity. However, contrary to predictions, there was no support for emotion regulation serving as a mediator between either attachment styles or gender roles and infidelity. The qualitative analysis uncovered salient themes related to the definition and experience of infidelity, as well as conditions potentially conducive to experiences of infidelity and consequences of infidelity. Anonymous infidelity emerged as an interesting construct within the college culture of dating. These findings are discussed in the context of attachment theory and theories of gender identity, and the implications of the findings for prevention and intervention efforts within clinical practice are described.Item Parents' socialization of children's emotions and children's socioemotional adjustment : the role of adult attachment(2002-08) Boyd-Soisson, Erin Faith; Hazen, Nancy LynnThe main goal of this study was to examine how parents’ mental representations of their past attachment relationships influence the way they respond to their own children’s emotions, using hypotheses based in attachment theory. Parents’ responses to their children’s emotions and children’s emotion regulation and social and emotional adjustment over time were also examined. Finally, differences between mothers and fathers were examined. The original sample contained 125 couples. Mothers’ and Fathers’ mental representations of attachment were measured prior to giving birth to their first child. Parents’ responses to their children’s emotions were assessed during parent-child interactions when children were 2-years old, and with parental questionnaires when children were 7-years old. Children’s emotion regulation was coded at 2-years and parents and teachers reported children’s social adjustment using the Child Behavior Checklist at 7-years. Mothers’ adult attachment did not predict their responses to their children’s emotions when their children were 2- or 7-years old. Fathers’ adult attachment did predict their responses to their children’s emotions. Dismissing fathers were more minimizing and punitive toward their children’s emotions than secure fathers when children were 2-years old. Dismissing fathers, compared to secure fathers, reported more distress and punitive reactions to their children’s emotions when their children were 7-years old. In addition, the more sensitive parents were to their children’s emotions, the better their children’s emotion regulation. Less sensitive responses were related to children’s underregulation of emotions. In general, children’s emotion regulation at 2-years did not predict children’s social adjustment at 7-years, although, some child gender differences were found. Few differences were found between mothers and fathers in the way they responded to their children’s emotions.Item Post-relationship relationships: the impact of attachment, disengagement strategies, goodwill, and communication satisfaction(Texas Tech University, 2002-05) Lambert, Andrea NNot availableItem Spiritual attachment and sexual satisfaction in marriage(Texas Tech University, 2002-12) Arterburn, Don R.There is much to learn about how a couple's sexual concerns and relational concerns are interrelated. We know relatively little about fulfilling sex and lasting intimacy within long-term committed relationships such as marriage (Schnarch, 1997). Recent changes in the expectations of committed relationships may help explain this lack of understanding. Schnarch (1997) states that for most of history, marriages were arranged for social, economic, and political reasons, yet at no time have people expected more gratification and fulfillment from a long-term, intimate, couple relationship than they do today. These exalted expectations and the inability of marriages to meet them may be reflected in the high divorce rate. This could leave couples hopeless about ever finding fulfillment in relationships when all their personal problems, including intimacy and sex, cannot be solved by finding the perfect partner. Marriages may be in trouble. According to Michael, Gagnon, Laumann, and Kolata (1994), the divorce rate is over 50% and climbing, and sex is a key part of marriage that is often less than fulfilling and satisfactory. Some couples look for answers from a therapist but often lose hope that the relationship will survive the process if sexual concerns are not addressed (Mason, 1991). However, as Gottman states, "The issue isn't how frequently you have sex, it's how well you handle the inevitable differences that arise whenever two people form a partnership" (1994. p.22). With such high expectations for sex and marriage, new insights about what makes relationships fulfilling and satisfying are needed.Item The correlates of adult attachment and temperament: a new perspective on an old debate(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Escolas, Sandra MarieNot availableItem Toward an integration of Beck's cognitive theory and Bowlby's attachment theory : self-schema and adult attachment classification in relation to depressive symptoms(2001-08) Sander, Amy Janay Boswell, 1973-; Stark, Kevin Douglas; Jacobvitz, DeborahItem Using language to detect and change attachment style(2003) Stone, Lori Dawn Alyssa; Pennebaker, James W.Decades of research on attachment style has resulted in a plethora of assessment techniques and an imprecise taxonomy of styles. Beginning with an assumption that interpersonal connections are revealed in the words used to discuss those relationships, the current studies were designed to investigate the efficacy of a language-based approach to discriminating attachment styles. Because recent research has shown that small words such as pronouns are psychologically important (e.g., Pennebaker & Stone, in press), Study 1 explored the patterns of word use that best predicted attachment styles in a sample of Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI; George, Kaplan & Main, 1985/1996) of married couples (N=214). A multinomial logistic regression using theoretically-selected word categories resulted in correct categorizations of 82.3% of cases (secure 82.4%, dismissing 87.6%, and preoccupied 62.5%). Applying the resulting equations to the AAI resulted in correct classification of 50% of cases. Predicting to a different criterion, the Adult Attachment Scale (AAS; Collins & Read, 1990), provided a slightly more effective set of categorizations (58%). There were theoretically relevant differences among attachment styles in the use of pronouns and emotional words. Study 2 (N=201) was designed to apply the model derived in Study 1 to a sample of college students using the AAS as a criterion. In addition, Study 2 employed a writing intervention designed to change the attachment styles of insecurely attached students. Participants in the experimental condition wrote five essays about their family experiences across a semester in response to a prompt assembled from AAI questions. The Study 1 model remained a significant predictor of attachment style in Study 2, correctly classifying 51% at Time 1 and 61% at Time 5. Participants in the writing intervention condition did not change attachment styles as a function of condition, but there were some beneficial effects of condition on selected adjustment variables including coping and social integration. The inability of the writing intervention to influence attachment style change is discussed in the context of the social nature of attachment style.