Filling the Void: Bolstering Attachment Security in Committed Relationships

Arriaga, Ximena B.; Kumashiro, Madoka; Finkel, Eli J.; VanderDrift, Laura E. and Luchies, Laura B.. 2014. Filling the Void: Bolstering Attachment Security in Committed Relationships. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), pp. 398-406. ISSN 1948-5506 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Attachment security has many salutary effects in adulthood, yet little is known about the specific interpersonal processes that increase attachment security over time. Using data from 134 romantically committed couples in a longitudinal study, we examined trust (whether a partner is perceived as available and dependable) and perceived goal validation (whether a partner is perceived as encouraging one’s personal goal pursuits). In concurrent analyses, trust toward a partner was uniquely associated with lower attachment anxiety, whereas perceiving one’s goal pursuits validated by a partner was uniquely associated with lower attachment avoidance. In longitudinal analyses, however, the inverse occurred: Trust toward a partner uniquely predicting reduced attachment avoidance over time and perceived goal validation uniquely predicting reduced attachment anxiety over time. These findings highlight distinct temporal paths for bolstering the security of attachment anxious versus attachment avoidant individuals.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613509287

Keywords:

attachment, close relationships, goals, personality development, interdependence

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
1 May 2014Published
23 October 2013Published Online
11 September 2013Accepted

Item ID:

10815

Date Deposited:

28 Oct 2014 14:55

Last Modified:

09 Jun 2021 21:11

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/10815

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