Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T01:48:45.730Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Being Secure Means Being Willing to Say You're Sorry: Attachment Style and the Communication of Relational Dissatisfaction and Disengagement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2013

Patricia A. Pizzano ,
John C. Sherblom  and
Laura R. Umphrey
Patricia A. Pizzano
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
John C. Sherblom*
Affiliation:
Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
Laura R. Umphrey
Affiliation:
School of Communication, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: John C. Sherblom, Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine, 5724 Dunn Hall, Orono, Maine, ME 04469-5724USA. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The present study examines the influence of attachment style on the communication choices people make in response to relational dissatisfaction and disengagement. A path analysis models these choices, showing that a secure attachment style predicts the use of voice and de-escalation. A preoccupied style predicts neglect, loyalty, and de-escalation. A dismissing-avoidant style also leads to neglect and loyalty, but predicts behavioural de-escalation. Finally, a fearful-avoidant style indicates more limited communication choices and relational exit. The model shows the possibility of strategically made communication choices changing the results of these attachment style outcomes. Pathways through the model show that active communication choices lead to more positive long-term relational outcomes and passive choices predict relational challenges.

Keywords

attachmentsecurerelationshipsatisfactiondisengagementcommunication
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 4 , 25 October 2013 , e7
Creative Commons
This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abaied, J.L., & Rudolph, K.D. (2010). Contributions of maternal adult attachment to socialization of coping. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (5), 637–657.Google Scholar
Anders, S.L., & Tucker, J.S. (2000). Adult attachment style, interpersonal communication competence, and social support. Personal Relationships, 7, 379–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ainsworth, M.D.S., Blehar, M.C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation and at home. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Allen, J.P., & Miga, E.M. (2010). Attachment in adolescence: A move to the level of emotion regulation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (2), 81–190.Google Scholar
Arseth, A.K., Kroger, J., Martinussen, M., & Bakken, G. (2009). Intimacy status, attachment, separation-individuation patterns, and identity status in female university students. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26 (5), 697–712.Google Scholar
Banks, S.P., Altendorf, D.M., Greene, J.O., & Cody, M.J. (1987). An examination of relationship disengagement: Perceptions, breakup strategies and outcomes. The Western Journal of Speech Communication, 51, 19–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartholomew, K. (1994). Assessment of individual differences in adult attachment. Psychological Inquiry, 5 (1), 23–67.Google Scholar
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L.M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61 (2), 226–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bartholomew, K., & Perlman, D. (1994). Attachment processes in adulthood: Advances in personal relationships (Vol. 5). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Google Scholar
Bentler, P.M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246.Google Scholar
Bentler, P.M., & Bonett, D.G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88 (3), 588–606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birnbaum, G.E. (2010). Bound to interact: The divergent goals and complex interplay of attachment and sex within romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (2), 245–252.Google Scholar
Bodie, G.D., Burleson, B.R., Gill-Rosier, J., McCullough, J.D., Holmstrom, A.J., Rack, J.J., Hanasono, L., & Mincy, J. (2011). Explaining the impact of attachment style on evaluations of supportive messages: A dual-process framework. Communication Research, 38 (2), 228–247.Google Scholar
Bollen, K.A. (1986). Sample size and Bentler and Bonett's nonnormed fit index. Psychometrika, 51, 375–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browne, M.W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In Bollen, K.A. & Long, J.S. (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Cody, M.J. (1982). A typology of disengagement strategies and an examination of the role intimacy, reactions to inequity and relational problems play in strategy selection. Communication Monographs, 49, 148–170.Google Scholar
Collins, N.L., & Ford, M.B. (2010). Responding to the needs of others: The caregiving behavioral system in intimate relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (2), 235–244.Google Scholar
Cortina, M., & Liotti, G. (2010). Attachment is about safety and protection, intersubjectivity is about sharing and social understanding. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 27 (4), 410–441.Google Scholar
Crowell, J.A., Fraley, R.C., & Shaver, P.R. (1999). Measurement of individual differences in adolescent and adult attachment. In Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 434–468). New York: Gulford Press.Google Scholar
Dainton, M. (2007). Attachment and marital maintenance. Communication Quarterly, 55 (3), 283–298.Google Scholar
Daly, K.D., & Mallinckrodt, B. (2009). Experienced therapists’ approach to psychotherapy for adults with attachment avoidance or attachment anxiety. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56 (4), 549–563.Google Scholar
Domingue, R., & Mollen, D. (2009). Attachment and conflict communication in adult romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26 (5), 678–696.Google Scholar
Dwyer, K.M., Fredstrom, B.K., Rubin, K.H., Booth-LaForce, C., Rose-Krasnor, L., & Burgess, K.B. (2010). Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (1), 91–116.Google Scholar
Feeney, B.C., & Van Vleet, M. (2010). Growth through attachment: The interplay of attachment and exploration in adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (2), 226–234.Google Scholar
Fiori, K.L., Consedine, N.S., & Merz, E.M. (2011). Attachment, social network size, and patterns of social exchange in later life. Research on Aging, 33 (4), 465–493.Google Scholar
Gaines, S.O., & Henderson, M.C. (2002). Impact of attachment style on responses to accommodative dilemmas among same-sex couples. Personal Relationships, 9, 89–93.Google Scholar
Gaines, S.O., Work, C., Johnson, H., Youn, M.S.P., & Lai, K. (2000). Impact of attachment style and self-monitoring on individuals’ responses to accommodative dilemmas across relationship types. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 17 (6), 767–789.Google Scholar
Gentzler, A.L., Oberhauser, A.M., Westerman, D., & Nadorff, D.K. (2011). College students’ use of electronic communication with parents: Links to loneliness, attachment, and relationship quality. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14, 71–74.Google Scholar
Gorsuch, R.L. (1983). Factor analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: ErlbaumGoogle Scholar
Griffin, D.W., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). The metaphysics of measurement: The case of adult attachment. In Bartholomew, K. & Perlman, D. (Eds.), Attachment processes in adulthood: Advances in personal relationships (Vol. 5, pp. 17–52). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Google Scholar
Guerrero, L.K. (1996). Attachment-style differences in intimacy and involvement: A test of the four-category model. Communication Monographs, 63, 273–292.Google Scholar
Guerrero, L.K. (2008). Attachment theory: A communication perspective. In Baxter, L.A. & Braithwaite, D.O. (Eds.), Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: Multiple perspectives. Los Angeles: Sage.Google Scholar
Guerrero, L.K., Farinelli, L., & McEwan, B. (2009). Attachment and relational satisfaction: The mediating effect of emotional communication. Communication Monographs, 76 (4), 487–514.Google Scholar
Guerrero, L.K., & Jones, S.M. (2003). Differences in one's own and one's partner's perceptions of social skills as a function of attachment style. Communication Quarterly, 51 (3), 227–295.Google Scholar
Guerrero, L.K., & Jones, S.M. (2005). Differences in conversational skills as a function of attachment style: A follow-up study. Communication Quarterly, 53 (3), 305–321.Google Scholar
Hawley, P.H., Shorey, H.S., & Alderman, P.M. (2009). Attachment correlates of resource-control strategies: Possible origins of social dominance and interpersonal power differentials. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26 (8), 1097–1118.Google Scholar
Herzog, T.K., Hughes, F.M., & Jordan, M. (2010). What is conscious in perceived attachment? Evidence from global and specific relationship representations. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (3), 283–303.Google Scholar
Holmes, B.M., & Johnson, K.R. (2009). Adult attachment and romantic partner preference: A review. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26 (6), 833–852.Google Scholar
Jang, S.A. (2008). The effects of attachment styles and efficacy of communication on avoidance following a relational partner's deception. Communication Research Reports, 25 (4), 300–311.Google Scholar
Jang, S., Smith, S.W., & Levine, T.R. (2002). To stay or leave? The role of attachment styles in communication patterns and potential termination of romantic relationships following discovery of deception. Communication Monographs, 69 (3), 236–253.Google Scholar
Karantzas, G.C., Feeney, J.A., & Wilkinson, R. (2010). Is less more? Confirmatory factor analysis of the attachment style questionnaires. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (6), 749–780.Google Scholar
Krahl, J.R., & Wheeless, L.R. (1997). Retrospective analysis of previous relationship disengagement and current attachment style. Communication Quarterly, 45 (3), 167–187.Google Scholar
Lambert, A.N., & Hughes, P.C. (2010). The influence of goodwill, secure attachment, and positively toned disengagement strategy on reports of communication satisfaction in non-marital post-dissolution relationships. Communication Research Reports, 27 (2), 171–183.Google Scholar
Le Poire, B.A., Shepard, C., & Duggan, A. (1999). Nonverbal involvement, expressiveness, and pleasantness as predicted by parental and partner attachment style. Communication Monographs, 66, 293–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsh, H.W., & Hocevar, D. (1985). Application of confirmatory factor analysis to the study of self-concept: First- and higher-order factor models and their invariance across groups. Psychological Bulletin, 97, 562–582.Google Scholar
Matthewson, M., Smith, R.B., & Montgomery, I. (2012). Does the parent-child relationship contribute to children's and parents’ anxiety? Journal of Relationships Research, 3, 1–9.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R., Bar-On, N., & Ein-Dor, T. (2010). The pushes and pulls of close relationships: Attachment insecurities and relational ambivalence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98 (3), 450–468.Google Scholar
Murray, A.J., & Hazelwood, Z.J. (2011). Being grateful: Does it bring us closer? Gratitude, attachment and intimacy in romantic relationships. Journal of Relationships Research, 2, 17–25.Google Scholar
Nunnally, J.C. (1978). Psychometric Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Parsons, C.E., Young, K.S., Murray, L., Stein, A., & Kringelbach, M.L. (2010). The functional neuroanatomy of the evolving parent-infant relationship. Progress in Neurobiology, 91, 220–241.Google Scholar
Pistole, M.C., Roberts, A., & Chapman, M.L. (2010). Attachment, relationship maintenance, and stress in long distance and geographically close romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (4), 535–552.Google Scholar
Punyanunt-Carter, N.M. (2007). Using attachment theory to study communication motives in father-daughter relationships. Communication Research Reports, 24 (4), 311–318.Google Scholar
Richards, D.A., & Schat, A.C.H. (2011). Attachment at (not to) work: Applying attachment theory to explain individual behavior in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96 (1), 169–182.Google Scholar
Ronen, S., & Mikulincer, M. (2009). Attachment orientations and job burnout: The mediating roles of team cohesion and organizational fairness. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26 (4), 549–567.Google Scholar
Rusbult, C.E., Zembrodt, I.M., & Gunn, L.K. (1982). Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect: Responses to dissatisfaction in romantic involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43 (6), 1230–1242.Google Scholar
Scharfe, E., & Bartholomew, K. (1995). Accommodation strategies and attachment in young couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12, 389–401.Google Scholar
Shaver, P.R., & Mikulincer, M. (2010). New directions in attachment theory and research. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (2), 163–172.Google Scholar
Shaver, P.R., Mikulincer, M., & Feeney, B.C. (2009). What's love got to do with it? Insecurity and anger in attachment relationships. Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, 16 (2), 491–513.Google Scholar
Shomaker, L.B., & Furman, W. (2009). Parent–adolescent relationship qualities, internal working models, and attachment styles as predictors of adolescents’ interactions with friends. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26 (5), 579–603.Google Scholar
Sibley, C.G., & Overall, N.C. (2010). Modeling the hierarchical structure of personality-attachment associations: Domain diffusion versus domain differentiation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (1), 47–70.Google Scholar
Simpson, J.A., & Rholes, W.S. (2010). Attachment and relationships: Milestones and future directions. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (2), 173–180.Google Scholar
Simpson, J.A., Kim, J.S., Fillo, J., Ickles, W., Rholes, W.S., Orina, M.M., & Winterheld, H.A. (2011). Attachment and the management of empathic accuracy in relationship-threatening situations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37 (2), 242–254.Google Scholar
Sinclair, L., & Fehr, B. (2005). Voice versus loyalty: Self-construals and responses to dissatisfaction in romantic relationships. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 298–304.Google Scholar
Sprecher, S., & Fehr, B. (2010). Dispositional attachment and relationship-specific attachment as predictors of compassionate love for a partner. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 28 (4), 558–574.Google Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Trees, A.R. (2006). Attachment theory: The reciprocal relationship between family communication and attachment patterns. In Baxter, L.A. & Braithwaite, D.O. (Eds.), Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: Multiple perspectives. Los Angeles: Sage.Google Scholar
Tucker, J.S., & Anders, S.L. (1998). Adult attachment style and nonverbal closeness in dating couples. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 22 (2), 109–124.Google Scholar
Tucker, J.S., & Anders, S.L. (1999). Attachment style, interpersonal perception accuracy, and relationship satisfaction in dating couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25 (4), 403–412.Google Scholar