The attachment system in fledgling relationships: an activating role for attachment anxiety
- PMID: 18729699
- DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.628
The attachment system in fledgling relationships: an activating role for attachment anxiety
Abstract
Is it sensible to study attachment dynamics between potential romantic partners before they share a full-fledged attachment bond? The present data indicate that such an approach may reveal novel insights about initial attraction processes. Four studies suggest that the state-like experience of attachment anxiety has functional implications within fledgling (i.e., desired or undeveloped) romantic relationships, well before the formation of an attachment bond. Studies 1 and 3 reveal that attachment anxiety directed toward a particular romantic interest is elevated before (in comparison with after) participants report being in an established relationship. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that such partner-specific attachment anxiety predicts attachment-relevant outcomes in fledgling relationships, including proximity seeking, safe haven, secure base, passionate love, and other approach behaviors. These associations were reliable above and beyond (and were typically as strong as or stronger than) the effect of sexual desire. Finally, Study 4 presents evidence that partner-specific attachment anxiety may cause several of these attachment-relevant outcomes. Attachment anxiety seems to be a normative experience and may signal the activation of the attachment system during the earliest stages of romantic relationships.
Similar articles
-
Conflicting pressures on romantic relationship commitment for anxiously attached individuals.J Pers. 2011 Feb;79(1):51-73. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00680.x. J Pers. 2011. PMID: 21223264
-
Emotional responses to a romantic partner's imaginary rejection: the roles of attachment anxiety, covert narcissism, and self-evaluation.J Pers. 2009 Feb;77(1):287-325. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00546.x. Epub 2008 Dec 10. J Pers. 2009. PMID: 19076997
-
Relationship-contingent self-esteem and the ups and downs of romantic relationships.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008 Sep;95(3):608-27. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.608. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008. PMID: 18729698
-
Anxious attachment and relationship processes: an interactionist perspective.J Pers. 2011 Dec;79(6):1219-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00723.x. Epub 2011 Oct 19. J Pers. 2011. PMID: 21299557 Review.
-
Importance of object relations theories for development of capacity for mature love.Croat Med J. 2004 Feb;45(1):18-24. Croat Med J. 2004. PMID: 14968447 Review.
Cited by
-
Genetic and epigenetic effects on couple adjustment in context of romantic relationship: A scoping systematic review.Front Genet. 2023 Jan 24;14:1002048. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1002048. eCollection 2023. Front Genet. 2023. PMID: 36816018 Free PMC article.
-
Relationship-specific Satisfaction and Adjustment in Emerging Adulthood: The Moderating Role of Adult Attachment Orientation.J Adult Dev. 2022 Mar;29(1):40-52. doi: 10.1007/s10804-021-09380-6. Epub 2021 May 10. J Adult Dev. 2022. PMID: 35342275 Free PMC article.
-
We're Not That Choosy: Emerging Evidence of a Progression Bias in Romantic Relationships.Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2021 Nov;25(4):317-343. doi: 10.1177/10888683211025860. Epub 2021 Jul 10. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2021. PMID: 34247524 Free PMC article.
-
"Time Slows Down Whenever You Are Around" for Women but Not for Men.Front Psychol. 2021 Apr 6;12:641729. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.641729. eCollection 2021. Front Psychol. 2021. PMID: 33889113 Free PMC article.
-
Unequally into "Us": Characteristics of Individuals in Asymmetrically Committed Relationships.Fam Process. 2019 Mar;58(1):214-231. doi: 10.1111/famp.12397. Epub 2018 Oct 7. Fam Process. 2019. PMID: 30294892 Free PMC article.
