The Attachment Dynamic: Dyadic Patterns of Anxiety and Avoidance in Relationship Functioning

Summary & key facts

This paper reports two studies of couples (185 and 123 dyads) that looked at how people’s own attachment anxiety and avoidance relate to how they see their relationship (trust, satisfaction, commitment). The studies found that a person’s attachment style matters, but so does their partner’s style. In many cases, the negative link between someone’s anxiety or avoidance and relationship feelings became stronger or weaker depending on the partner’s anxiety or avoidance. The authors say the combination of both partners’ attachment patterns matters for relationship functioning.

Key facts:

• The paper reports two dyadic studies with sample sizes of 185 and 123 dyads.
• The studies measured three relationship outcomes: trust, satisfaction, and commitment.
• People’s own attachment anxiety was generally linked to lower relationship evaluations (lower trust, satisfaction, commitment).
• The negative link between a person’s attachment anxiety and their relationship evaluations was weaker when their partner was more anxious.
• That same negative link (own anxiety → lower evaluations) was stronger when the partner was more avoidant.
• A person’s attachment avoidance was more strongly linked to lower trust and satisfaction when their partner was more anxious.
• A person’s own avoidance showed a stronger negative relation with commitment when their partner was also more avoidant.
• The findings describe associations (how things relate) across partners. The paper does not claim these findings prove cause and effect.

Abstract

Whereas attachment dimensions (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) are generally associated with lower levels of relationship evaluations (e.g., satisfaction, commitment), research has not yet fully incorporated how partner attachment is related to these evaluations, nor how dyadic patterns (actor × partner attachment interactions) are associated with evaluations. Across two dyadic studies (N = 185, 123 dyads), we examine how actor, partner, and actor × partner interactions of attachment anxiety and avoidance are associated with reports of trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Results generally revealed that actor effects of attachment anxiety on lower relationship evaluations were weaker when partners were more anxious and stronger when partners were more avoidant. Moreover, actor effects of attachment avoidance on lower trust and satisfaction were stronger when partners were more anxious. Finally, own avoidance was more strongly negatively related to commitment in the presence of a more avoidant partner. These results suggest that the combination of attachment within relationships is important to consider for both close relationships researchers and clinicians.

Topics

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Customer Service Quality and Loyalty

Categories

Psychology Social Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Attachment theory Developmental psychology Partner effects Psychiatry Psychology Social psychology

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Anxiety or worry Feeling disconnected from others