Attachment Anxiety as a Barrier to the Benefits of Novel Couple Activities

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
Adrienne A. Paynter ◽  
Cheryl Harasymchuk
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Willingness To Engage

Novel and exciting couple activities have been found to increase satisfaction in couples (e.g., Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000), but only if both members enjoy the exciting activity (Girme, Overall, & Faingataa, 2014). We hypothesized that attachment anxiety might thwart the enjoyment and effectiveness of novel couple activities because of perceived threats to the security of the relationship. Undergraduate students (N = 154) who were in a romantic relationship completed online questionnaires. Consistent with our hypothesis, higher attachment anxiety was associated with decreased couple enjoyment (as perceived by the participant). However, contrary to our hypotheses, higher attachment anxiety was not associated with greater willingness to engage in an unappealing partner-initiated novel couple activity, or with decreased perceived benefits to the relationship. Furthermore, consistent with our guiding hypothesis, in exploratory analyses, we found that people who scored higher on attachment anxiety were more likely to be motivated to engage in the unappealing partner-initiated novel couple activity because of threat-related concerns.

scholarly journals Putting me back together by getting back together: Post-dissolution self-concept confusion predicts rekindling desire among anxiously attached individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 384-392
Author(s):  
Morgan A. Cope ◽  
Brent A. Mattingly
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Relationship Dissolution ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Studies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

Previous research suggests that romantic relationship dissolution diminishes self-concept clarity, leading to emotional distress. Over time, people overcome breakup. But little is known about how people respond to the reduced self-concept clarity that results from this process. The current research examined predictors and mediators of relationship rekindling (desiring to reestablish a relationship with an ex-partner) as a method of navigating self-concept clarity impairment post-dissolution. In two cross-sectional studies, we found that attachment anxiety predicted relationship rekindling both retrospectively (Study 1) and concurrently (Study 2), and this association was mediated by self-concept clarity. These results indicate that anxiously attached individuals may attempt to resolve the substantial self-concept impairment posed by dissolution by reestablishing the relationship with the ex-partner.

scholarly journals The Link between Attachment Style and Self-Reported Olfactory Ability: A Preliminary Investigation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1367
Author(s):  
Amy Shell ◽  
Anna Blomkvist ◽  
Mehmet K. Mahmut
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Olfactory Ability

Individuals in healthy romantic relationships gain significant benefits to their psychological wellbeing and physiological health. Notably, the majority of relationship research has focused on how adult attachment influences these relationship outcomes while the role of olfaction remains an emerging research focus. The aim of the current study was to bring together these seemingly unrelated factors–attachment and olfaction–in an online quasi-experimental design. The participants were 401 undergraduate students, predominantly females, ranging in age from 17 to 70 years. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that evaluated their attachment tendencies, olfactory ability and experiences in romantic relationships. Results indicated that attachment insecurity, across both attachment anxiety and avoidance, was associated with decreased olfactory functioning for females. These findings provide preliminary evidence that olfaction is related to romantic relationship maintenance and suggests that body odors could be fundamental for evoking the attachment system. These findings also elicit enticing new avenues of research which can assist psychologists to provide targeted treatments to individuals with olfactory deficits and insecure attachment tendencies.

Exposure to an Infidelity Threat Manipulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
Tamra Cater ◽  
Virgil Zeigler-Hill ◽  
Avi Besser
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Attachment Avoidance ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Attachment Dimensions ◽  
High Threat

Abstract. The associations between adult attachment dimensions and responses to romantic relationship threats have been investigated in recent years. The present study extended the results of previous studies by examining whether attachment dimensions moderated the anticipated responses that individuals had to the imagined infidelity of their romantic partners. College student participants (N = 243) were randomly assigned to imagine either a high threat scenario (i.e., finding their partner having sex with someone else) or a low threat scenario (i.e., hearing a couple on television having sex) and report their anticipated responses to these scenarios. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the attachment dimensions moderated the anticipated responses of participants to the imagined infidelity of their romantic partners but the exact patterns of these results were different than we expected. For example, individuals with low levels of attachment avoidance provided more positive evaluations of their romantic relationships than individuals with high levels of attachment avoidance in the low threat condition but this difference did not emerge in the high threat condition. These findings suggest that low levels of attachment avoidance may be most beneficial for romantic relationships when there is relatively little threat to the relationship. Further, men with high levels of attachment anxiety reported relatively positive evaluations of their relationships in the high threat condition compared to men with low levels of attachment anxiety or women (regardless of their level of attachment anxiety). Discussion focuses on the implications these results may have for understanding the connections between attachment and relationship evaluations under conditions of threat.

Coping Style as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Deliberate Self-Harm

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 272-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison S. Christian ◽  
Kristen M. McCabe
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Deliberate Self Harm ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) occurs with high frequency among clinical and nonclinical youth populations. Although depression has been consistently linked with the behavior, not all depressed individuals engage in DSH. Aims: The current study examined maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, distancing, and self-isolation) as mediators between depression and DSH among undergraduate students. Methods: 202 students from undergraduate psychology courses at a private university in Southern California (77.7% women) completed anonymous self-report measures. Results: A hierarchical regression model found no differences in DSH history across demographic variables. Among coping variables, self-isolation alone was significantly related to DSH. A full meditational model was supported: Depressive symptoms were significantly related to DSH, but adding self-isolation to the model rendered the relationship nonsignificant. Limitations: The cross-sectional study design prevents determination of whether a casual relation exists between self-isolation and DSH, and obscures the direction of that relationship. Conclusions: Results suggest targeting self-isolation as a means of DSH prevention and intervention among nonclinical, youth populations.

The Relationship Between Texture Responses on the Rorschach and Adult Attachment

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Iwasa ◽  
Toshiki Ogawa
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Japanese Population ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Comprehensive System ◽  
Attachment Avoidance ◽  
Sensitive Measure ◽  
The Relationship

We examined the relationship between texture responses (T) on the Rorschach and adult attachment in the Japanese population. 47 Japanese undergraduate and graduate students (mean age = 20.16, SD = 1.87) completed a self-report adult attachment scale as well as the Rorschach. An ANOVA revealed that T = 1 participants were attached more securely than were other groups. T > 1 participants were more preoccupied with attachment and scored higher on an attachment anxiety scale than the T = 1 group. Although these results were consistent with the interpretation of the texture response according to the Comprehensive System (CS), the results obtained for T = 0 participants were inconsistent with hypotheses derived from the CS. T = 0 participants were high on preoccupied and attachment anxiety scores, although they were theoretically expected to be high on dismissing or attachment avoidance. These results indicated that – at least in Japan – T should be regarded as a sensitive measure of attachment anxiety.

Gender and belief factors on attitude towards Social and Environmental Accounting (SEA)

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Salina Abdullah ◽  
Ern Chen Loo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Environmental Accounting ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Business And Society ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Sustain Ability ◽  
The Relationship

Research on social and environmental accounting (SEA) has mainly concentrated on disclosure of SEA by corporate bodies, where investigations on ones attitude towards SEA are rarely discussed. SEA is a medium that develops relationships between business and society, community and nature. In addition, SEA involves a concept of sustain ability; where natural resources need to be sustained for the needs of future generations (Alhabshi et al., 2003). SEA also tries to recognise the role of accounting in sustainable development and the use of environmental resources. There are arguments that the young generations today are not fully aware of preserving these natural resources as well as handling social and environmental issues wisely. This perhaps link closely to their belief and cultural background. Hence, this paper examines the influence of gender and belief factors on the undergraduate students’ attitude towards SEA. Four dimensions of belief (fixed ability, quick learning, simple knowledge and certain knowledge) proposed by Schommer (2005) were adapted to analyse how belief factors have influence on their attitude towards SEA. An independent sample t-test was used to examine the relationship between gender and students’ attitude towards SEA. Spearmen’s correlation was employed to show the relationship between belief and attitude towards SEA. The results revealed that gender differences did not show influences on their attitude towards SEA. It was found that there is a significant relationship between belief and students’ attitude towards SEA. Students who believe on the importance of SEA tend to report positive attitude towards SEA. Perhaps findings of this study may provide some information on the SEA education and further be incorporated in the syllabus.

Menguji Kepuasan Hubungan Melalui Intimasi dan Perasaan Cemburu pada Pelaku Hubungan Friends with Benefits

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Putu Yunita Trisna Dewi ◽  
M. Arief Sumantri
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Friends With Benefits ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Social Intimacy ◽  
Relationship Assessment ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Assessment Scales

Friends with Benefits (FWB) is a friendship of the opposite sex that involves sexual activity without commitment, feelings of love and encouragement to continue the relationship toward a romantic relationship. This study aims to determine the role of intimacy and jealousy towards the relationship satisfaction of individuals undergoing the FWB and the role of jealousy towards intimacy, and describing the emotions and views of participants on their FWB relationships. The subjects were 304 people undergoing FWB relationship in the last two years. Data were collected using Miller Social Intimacy, Multidimensional Jealousy, and Relationship Assessment Scales. Hierarchical linear regression and descriptive analysis were used to analyze data. Participants’ experiences of their FBW relationship were also collected and analyzed qualitatively. The result showed that intimacy and jealousy significantly predicted the relationship satisfaction both simultaneously and partially. Jealousy also significantly influences intimacy. A qualitative analysis reveals three categories that describe the emotions and views of the participants towards their FWB  relationships, namely feeling satisfied and happy, feeling less satisfied and regretful, and feeling happy but regretful.Keywords : friends with benefits, intimacy, jealousy, relationship satisfaction. Abstrak: Friends with Benefits (FWB) adalah hubungan pertemanan lawan jenis yang melibatkan hubungan seksual tanpa komitmen, perasaan cinta dan dorongan untuk melanjutkan ke hubungan yang romantis. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji peranan intimasi dan perasaan cemburu terhadap kepuasan hubungan partisipan yang menjalani hubungan FWB, peranan perasaan cemburu terhadap intimasi, serta mendeskripsikan gambaran emosi dan pandangan partisipan saat menjalani hubungan FWB. Partisipan penelitian berjumlah 304 partisipan, yang menjalani hubungan FWB dalam kurun waktu dua tahun terakhir. Data dikumpulkan dengan skala Miller Social Intimacy, Multi-dimensional Jealousy, dan Relationship Assesment. Data dianalisis menggunakan regresi linier berjenjang. Data kualitatif juga dikumpulkan dan dianalisis secara deskriptif untuk mendalami perasaan dan pandangan partisipan terhadap FWB yang dijalani. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan intimasi dan perasaan cemburu secara signifikan mempengaruhi kepuasan hubungan baik secara simultan maupun parsial. Perasaan cemburu juga secara signifikan memberi pengaruh terhadap intimasi. Secara kualitatif, ditemukan tiga kategori yang menggambarkan emosi dan pandangan partisipan dalam menjalani hubungan FWB, yaitu merasa puas dan senang, kurang puas hingga menyesal, dan merasa senang namun ada penyesalan.

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