The role of attachment in the post-divorce experience

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6207130
AutoresWilliam H Berman, William Berman (0009-0004-6545-2363, Cornell University, autor de correspondencia)
Año1988
Volumen54
Número3
Páginas496-503
Fecha de publicación1988-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
EditorialAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.54.3.496
PMID3361421
OpenAlexW2098012081
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas38
Referencias citadas2

The loss of the spouse resulting from marital breakdown appears to be a central component of post-divorce distress. However, comparatively little empirical research has examined the nature of this broken bond or its impact on the divorced adult. This study tests the hypothesis that the continuing positive feelings for the ex-spouse following divorce are very salient for the individual and are related to increased distress. Sixty recently divorced women selected from court records were randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which they recalled the ex-spouse in a positive, loving interaction (PS); the ex-spouse in a conflictual interaction (C); or a friend in a positive, loving interaction (PS). A post-recall thought sampling procedure was employed to measure the frequency of thoughts about the ex-spouse. The subjects in the PS condition had significantly more post-recall thoughts of the ex-spouse and significantly more thoughts about coping than those in either the C or the PF conditions. The implications of these data for theories of post-divorce adaptation and adult attachment are discussed.

Coping (psychology · Developmental psychology · Distress · Feeling · Recall · Spouse · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Psychology · Social Psychology