Relationship between Attachment Style and Relationship Quality - Assignment Example

Relationship Between Attachment Style and Relationship Quality Relationship Between Attachment Style and Relationship Quality Name of the Student Name of the University Abstract This paper analyzes and proves the thesis statement that there is a relationship between the attachment style and quality of the relationship. It aims to prove that attachment styles influence the kind of relationship that one individual shares with another, and the quality of that interpersonal relationship. The study has chosen a random sample of a little more than 500 participants and their romantic partners or friends. Each of the participant and his or her partner or friends is required to fill a survey questionnaire that analyzes the relationship, the levels of trust in the relationship and the attachment style of each participant. The results obtained therein are analyzed and discussed to prove that attachment styles do have a positive or negative influence on the quality of the relationship. Relationship between Attachment Style and Relationship Quality Attachment is considered to be an emotional relationship that involves the exchange of comfort, care and pleasure. Attachment theory deals with the psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory relationships between humans. There are four styles of attachment in adults, namely, secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant and fearful-avoidant. Many researchers have been made regarding the relationship between attachment style and quality of the relationship. Bartholomew & Horowitz (1991), study attachment styles among young adults through a test of a four-category model. In this study a new 4-group model of attachment style was proposed. Four prototypic attachment patterns are defined using a combination of a person’s self-image and image of others. Two studies were conducted for this. In Study I an interview was structured and developed to gain continuous ratings on the 4 attachment styles. In this study it was found that intercorrelations of attachment ratings were constant with the proposed model. Ratings on attachments were authenticated through self-report measures of self-concept and interpersonal functioning. It was found in this study that each attachment style was related to a set of interpersonal problems, according to self- repots and friend- reports. In the second study, attachment styles within the family of origin and with peers were evaluated independently. The same results found it Study I was found in Study II also. Thus the proposed model was seen to be applicable to assessment of family relations as well as peer relations. Attachment styles with peers were correlated with attachment styles with family. Simpson (1990), assesses the influence of attachment styles on romantic relationships in his study. He examines the impact of secure, anxious and avoidant attachment styles on romantic relationships. The methodology used was longitudinal study involving 144 dating couples. The individual analysis revealed that secure, anxious and avoidant attachment styles were associated with romantic relationships that differ in their quality. It was found that people who show secure attachment style are involved in relationships that have higher levels of trust, inter-dependence, commitment and satisfaction. These people were found to have more positive emotions and less negative emotions. People who exhibited anxious and avoidant attachment styles, were seen to be involved in relationships that had lesser inter-dependence, trust, commitment and satisfaction. High anxious people had relationships with lesser levels of trust. Highly avoidant people were in relationships that were characterized by lesser levels of inter-dependence and commitment. Hollist & Miller (2005), analyze the relationship between attachment styles and marital quality in midlife marriage through Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). The study was conducted among 429 married couples between the ages of 40 and 50years. This study found that insecure attachment styles were associated with marital quality, however, secure attachment styles were not found to be related to marital quality. The study concludes that EFT can help insecure couples secure their relationships. A similar study conducted by Grabill & Kerns (2000), studies the relationship between attachment styles and intimacy in friendship. Two studies were conducted using college students and three intimacy characteristics namely, self-disclosure, feeling understood, feeling validated and cared for by the friend were studied. In the first study among students between the ages of 17 to 21 years, results revealed that individuals with secure attachment style were higher in all intimacy characteristics. In the second study among 147 pairs aged between 17 to 22+ years, relationship between attachment style and intimacy was found. Both studies also revealed gender differences in intimacy characteristics. Cassidy (2000), in an article, discusses the possibility of differences arising in adult romantic attachments as a result of differences in childhood attachments. Cassidy points out evidence that individuals contribute towards creating their own environment and that their earlier attachment history influences the kind of treatment they extract from other people. For example in a romantic relationship, a person may be influenced by early attachments to behave in ways that bring about rejection or withdrawal from the present partner. This kind of attachment environment a person is in not only depends on the current treatment the individual receives, it I also a product of early attachment experiences that contribute towards extracting this kind of treatment. Furthermore, continuity and discontinuity play a role in attachment patterns. Some people are found to be continually influenced by previous experiences, while others are open to change. Another study by Web et al. (2006), analyzes and proves the relationship between adult attachment styles and dispositional forgiveness. The study shows that attachment styles have an effect on the ability to regulate negative emotion in relationships. Results of this study indicate significant differences in the type of forgiveness between secure and insecure attachment styles. This study basically provides preliminary data supporting the argument that there is a possibility of a correlation between attachment style and dispositional forgiveness. Method A random sample of 500+ men and women sharing different relationships, were chosen for the study between the ages of 17 to 24 years. It examined the relationship between attachment styles and quality of relationships using the attachment characteristics such as secure, preoccupied, dismissal, fear, trust, satisfaction, commitment and forgiveness. Participation was voluntary with no specific incentives offered. Materials The primary material used for this study is a survey questionnaire, which assessed three main aspects through three different set of questions. The first part of the study included a relationship assessment scale proposed by Hendrick, Dicke & Hendrick (1998) that aimed to examine the different aspects of the relationship. The second part of the study contained a trust scale put forth by Rempel & Holmes (1986), and this was used to measure the levels of trust in close relationships. The third and final part of the study included an attachment style questionnaire, a format used by Steiner-Pappalardo & Gurung (2002) and is based on Bartholomew and Horowitz’s theory that there are four basic attachment styles. A demographic data sheet that collected information regarding the participants’ gender, age, nationality, relationship with the individual in mind, the length of their relationship and the level of commitment etc was attached to the beginning of the study, to be filled by the participant before commencing the study. Procedure Each participant was given two copies of the survey questionnaire and asked to enroll a friend or romantic partner to complete one questionnaire while the participant themselves filled out the other. The participants and their partners were to be between the ages of 17 and 24 years. On completion of the questionnaire the participants were asked to return both in an unsealed envelope to maintain anonymity. The completed questionnaires were the open and analyzed to obtain the necessary results. Results The results indicate that attachment style was directly proportional to the levels of trust, satisfaction and commitment in romantic relationships. In a highly secure attachment style, the levels of trust, satisfaction and commitment were also high, thereby improving the quality of the relationship. Willingness to forgive was not very high in secure attachment style. Whereas in Preoccupied, Dismissive and Fear styles of attachment, the levels of trust, satisfaction and commitment were found to be lower. Willingness to forgive was average in these attachment styles also. For instance, on a scale of ten, a secure attachment style rating of 8.0, indicated trust level at 7 on 7, satisfaction rates of 7 on 7 and commitment rates of 5 on 7. Likewise, a preoccupied attachment style with a rating of 9 on 10, showed trusts levels of 2 on 7, satisfaction levels of 1 on 7 and commitment levels of 5 on 10. Forgiveness levels remained at somewhere between 3 and 5 on 7 for both attachment styles. In relationships with friends, a similar trend was noticed. The kind of attachment style had a direct effect on the trust and satisfaction levels thereby increasing or decreasing the quality of the relationship. In friendship, a secure attachment rating of 10 on 10 indicated trust levels at 5 on 7, satisfaction levels of 7 on 7 and commitment levels of 5 on 7. A dismissive style attachment rating of 10 on 10 yielded trust levels of 3 on 7, satisfaction levels of 2 on 7 and commitment levels of 3 on 7. The willingness to forgive in all four categories indicated average levels. Thus for both romantic relationships as well as friendships, the attachment styles influence the quality of the relationship. Discussion The results indicate that there is a clear relationship and connection between attachment style and the quality of relationship. The quality of any relationship includes the elements of trust, satisfaction and commitment and these elements are rightly included in the study in an attempt to identify the quality. The results establish and prove the hypothesis that attachment styles influence relationship quality. These findings relate to previous researches that have analyzed romantic relationships and relationships between friends. While previous studies offer individual studies on romantic relationships and friendships, this study offers a comprehensive view on the effects of attachment styles on the quality of the relationship and is inclusive of both kinds of relationships. These results however, did not bring forth valuable findings on the willingness to forgive in both these relationships. There was no marked difference in the levels of forgiveness in both romantic relationships as well as friendships, based on the attachment styles. This particular aspect of the quality of relationship was not very clear in the study. Another limitation of the study is the wide age range used for the sample. The age range of 17 to 20 years is an integral part of the developmental stages of a person and this may have influenced the responses yielded from them. Sound understanding of interpersonal relationships may be absent at this age and this could yield inaccurate results. A more mature age range could have been used for the sample. Overall the study and the results obtained therein, prove the hypothesis that attachment styles have a significant effect on the quality of relationships. The kind of attachment style influences levels of trust, satisfaction and commitment in a relationship thereby affecting its quality. References Bartholomew, K & Horowitz, L M (1991). Attachment Styles Among \bung Adults: A Test of a Four-Category Model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol 61, No. 2, 226- 244 Simpson, J A (1990). Influence of Attachment Styles on Romantic Relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 59, No. 5,971-980. Cassidy, J (2000). Adult Romantic Attachments: A Developmental Perspective on Individual Differences. Review of General Psychology. Vol. 4, No. 2, 111-131 Webb, M , Call, S, Chickering, S A, Colburn, T A, Heisler, D (2006). Dispositional Forgiveness and Adult Attachment Styles. The Journal of Social Psychology. 146(4), 509–512 Hollist, C S & Miller, R B (2005). Perceptions of Attachment Style and Marital Quality in Midlife Marriage. Family Relations. Vol 54(1). pp. 46-57. Grabill, C M & Kerns, K A (2000). Attachment Style and Intimacy in Friendship. Personal Relationships. Vol 7(4), Dec, 2000. pp. 363-378. Hendrick, S, Dicke, A & Hendrick, C (1998). The Relationship Assessment Scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 15, No. 1, 137-142 Rempel, J K & Holmes, J G (1986). How Do I Trust Thee? Psychology Today. Vol 20(2). 28-34 Steiner-Pappalardo, N. L., & Gurung, R. A. R. (2002). The femininity effect: Relationship quality, sex, gender, attachment, and significant-other concept. Personal Relationships, 9, 313-325 Read More