Do life events lead to enduring changes in adult attachment styles? A naturalistic longitudinal investigation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10169055 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R Chris Fraley (0000-0003-3437-0336, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, corresponding author), Omri Gillath (0000-0001-8791-227X, University of Kansas), Pascal R Deboeck (0000-0001-5052-7837, University of Utah) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 120 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1567-1606 |
| Publication date | 2020-08-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/pspi0000326 |
| PMID | 32790474 |
| OpenAlex | W3049513789 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 30 |
Research has shown that a variety of life events are associated with changes in adult attachment styles. What is unknown, however, is the extent to which those changes are transient or enduring. To investigate this issue, we followed a sample of over 4,000 people in a multiwave longitudinal study in which people naturalistically experienced a variety of life events (e.g., starting new relationships, changing jobs, average n across events = 392). This allowed us to examine people's attachment trajectories before (Mwaves = 6.51) and after (Mwaves = 8.04) specific life events took place, for spans of time ranging from 6 months to 40 (M = 23 months). We found that half of the life events we studied were associated with immediate changes in attachment styles. However, on average, people tended to revert back to levels of security similar to those that would be expected on the basis of their preevent trajectories. Nonetheless, the average person changed in enduring ways in response to a quarter of the events we studied, suggesting that some experiences lead to enduring changes in attachment. Moreover, there were considerable individual differences in the extent to which people changed: Even in cases in which the average person did not show enduring change, there was evidence that some people became more secure and others less so in enduring ways. The ways in which people construed the events (positive vs. negative) were related to the extent to which their attachment styles changed. We discuss the implications of these findings for theoretical models of attachment dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Developmental psychology · Naturalism · Naturalistic observation · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Social Psychology
From the reconstruction of meaning to the reconstruction of security
Factors associated with psychological distress following romantic relationship dissolutions and the role of attachment
The effect of attachment style on mindfulness
Experiences With Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence in Childhood and Adult Attachment in a Sample of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals
Attachment anxiety and lingering attachment to the deceased predict grief severity
Adult Attachment Outcomes and the Timing of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Fluctuations in adult attachment among experienced mothers during re‐transitioning to motherhood
The role of positive relationship events in romantic attachment avoidance
The Association Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Adult Attachment
Life events sometimes alter the trajectory of personality development
Associations of attachment avoidance and anxiety with life satisfaction, satisfaction with singlehood, and desire for a romantic partner
Unfinished Journeys
Attachment and Cultural Practices Among First- and Second-Generation Asian Indian Americans
Free from your experiences to grow
Associations Between Attachment and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults Living With Early-Stage Cognitive Impairment and Their Adult Children
Bonds of Resilience – A Longitudinal Perspective on Distress, Resilience and Attachment Orientations During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Systematic review and framework synthesis of attachment injuries among romantic couples
Person-situation interactions as predictors of variations in attachment
Growth following adversity is rare
Romantic attachment, stress, and cognitive functioning in a large sample of middle-aged and older couples
Genetic Contributions to Attachment Stability Over Time
Is Self‐Report of Attachment Patterns in Young People Stable From Three to Nine Months After a Concussion
Diversity in singlehood experiences
The roles of parental and partner attachment working models in romantic relationships
Does low self-esteem predict lower wellbeing following relationship dissolution
Parental and partner attachment working models in romantic relationships of nonbinary adults
Actor, partner, and similarity effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on well-being and health in romantic couples
Promoting attachment security during the transition to college
Relationship-induced self-concept change and the malleability of attachment security
Greater average levels of relatedness need fulfilment across daily and monthly life predict lower attachment insecurities across time
| Unique citing works | 30 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 29 |