Physical, Emotional, and Behavioral Reactions to Breaking Up

The Roles of Gender, Age, Emotional Involvement, and Attachment Style

Bibliographic Data

ID23364019
AuthorsDeborah Davis (0000-0001-6285-8692, University of Nevada, Reno, corresponding author), P R Shaver (0000-0003-2578-2777, University of California, Davis), Michael L Vernon (University of Nevada, Reno), Michael Vernon (0000-0002-9269-9802, University of Nevada, Reno)
Year2003
Volume29
Issue7
Pages871-884
Publication date2003-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0146-1672 • E-ISSN: 1552-7433
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0146167203029007006
PMID15018675
OpenAlexW2003995364
LanguageEN
Citations received131
References cited26

Associations between gender, age, emotional involvement, and attachment style and reactions to romantic relationship dissolution were studied in a survey of more than 5,000 Internet respondents. It was hypothesized that individual reactions to breakups would be congruent with characteristic attachment behaviors and affect-regulation strategies generally associated with attachment style. Attachment-related anxiety was associated with greater preoccupation with the lost partner, greater perseveration over the loss, more extreme physical and emotional distress, exaggerated attempts to reestablish the relationship, partner-related sexual motivation, angry and vengeful behavior, interference with exploratory activities, dysfunctional coping strategies, and disordered resolution. Attachment-related avoidance was weakly and negatively associated with most distress/proximity-seeking reactions to breakups and strongly and positively associated with avoidant and self-reliant coping strategies. Security (low scores on the anxiety and avoidance dimensions) was associated with social coping strategies (e.g., using friends and family as “safe havens”). Attachment insecurity, particularly anxiety, was associated with using drugs and alcohol to cope with loss.

Anxiety · Attachment theory · Coping (psychology) · Developmental psychology · Distress · Dysfunctional family · Insecure attachment · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

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