Everyday State Attachment: Dynamic Features and Role of Trait Attachment

Summary & key facts

This study used moment-to-moment surveys to track adults' attachment feelings (security, avoidance, anxiety) many times a day for one week. Two samples (N = 122 and N = 127) produced 4,629 and 5,322 valid momentary reports. People with higher average (baseline) state security tended to show less short-term ups-and-downs (lower variability). By contrast, people with higher average state avoidance showed more short-term ups-and-downs (higher variability). Trait attachment (measured as stable anxiety and avoidance) was linked to lower average state security and to more variability in state security, and each trait predicted higher average levels of its matching state (trait anxiety → higher sta

Key facts:

• The study had two adult samples: one with N = 122 and one with N = 127.
• Researchers collected 4,629 and 5,322 successful ecological momentary assessment (EMA) observations across the two samples. Participants answered 7 or 10 prompts per day for one week.
• Higher baseline (average) state security was associated with lower variability in state security (people with more secure averages fluctuated less).
• Higher baseline (average) state avoidance was associated with higher variability in state avoidance (people with more avoidant averages fluctuated more).
• Both trait attachment dimensions (trait anxiety and trait avoidance) predicted lower baseline state security and greater variability of state security.
• Each trait attachment dimension predicted higher baseline levels of its corresponding state: trait anxiety predicted higher average state anxiety, and trait avoidance predicted higher average state avoidance.
• The study examined three dynamic features of state attachment: baseline (average level), variability (moment-to-moment fluctuations), and inertia (carry-over from one moment to the next).

Abstract

Our findings provide insights into the real-time regulatory dynamics of the attachment system and their interconnection with trait attachment, underscoring the importance of baseline and variability in understanding how attachment manifests in everyday life.

Topics

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Cognitive Abilities and Testing

Categories

Psychology Social Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Attachment theory Cognitive psychology Computer science Developmental psychology Insecure attachment Personality Programming language Psychology Social psychology Trait

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Anxiety or worry