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

Summary & key facts

This article looked at how each partner's attachment style (anxiety and avoidance) links with relationship trust, satisfaction, and commitment. The authors used two studies of couples (total N = 185 people, 123 couples) and found that a person’s insecure attachment was tied to worse relationship ratings, but the partner’s attachment changed how strong those ties were. In short, different combinations of partners’ attachment styles were linked with different levels of trust, satisfaction, and commitment.

Key facts:

• The research combined two dyadic studies with 185 people in 123 romantic pairs (dyads).
• The main outcomes measured were trust, relationship satisfaction, and commitment.
• People higher in attachment anxiety tended to report lower relationship evaluations (less trust, satisfaction, commitment).
• The negative link between a person’s anxiety and their relationship evaluations was weaker when their partner was more anxious.
• That same negative link (actor anxiety → lower evaluations) was stronger when the partner was more avoidant.
• A person’s avoidance was linked to lower trust and satisfaction more strongly when their partner was more anxious.
• A person’s own avoidance was more strongly negatively related to commitment when their partner was also more avoidant.

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