Attachment security in couple relationships: A systemic model and its implications for family dynamics

Family Process

Volumn 41, Issue 3, 2002, Pages 405-434

  Mikulincer, Mario ^a   Florian, Victor ^a   Cowan, Philip A ^b   Cowan, Carolyn Pape ^b  

^a BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY   (Israel)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR; ADULT; FAMILY RELATION; FAMILY SIZE; FEMALE; HUMAN; MALE; MARRIAGE; MIDDLE AGED; OBJECT RELATION; PERSONALITY TEST; PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; QUALITY OF LIFE; REVIEW; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY; SYSTEMS THEORY;

ADAPTATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL; ADULT; FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS; FAMILY RELATIONS; FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; MARITAL STATUS; MIDDLE AGED; OBJECT ATTACHMENT; PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT; PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY; QUALITY OF LIFE; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY; SYSTEMS THEORY;

EID: 0036728857     PISSN: 00147370     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2002.41309.x     Document Type: Article

References (120)

1. Ainsworth, M.D., Blehar, M.C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
2. Baldwin, M.W., Keelan, J.P.R., Fehr, B., Enns, V., & Koh Rangarajoo, E. (1996). Social-cognitive conceptualization of attachment working models: Availability and accessibility effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 71: 94-109.
3. Bank, L., Dishion, T.J., Skinner, M., & Patterson, G.R. (1990). Method variance in structural equation modeling: Living with "glop" (pp. 247-279). In G.R. Patterson (ed.), Depression and aggression in family interaction. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
4. 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: 226-244.
5. Berman, W.H., Marcus, L., & Berman, E.R. (1994). Attachments in marital relations (pp. 204-231). In N.B. Sperlng & W.H. Berman (eds.), Attachment in adults: Clinical and developmental perspectives. New York: Academic Press.
6. Bookwala, J., & Zdaniuk, B. (1998). Adult attachment styles and aggressive behavior within dating relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 15: 175-190.
7. Boon, S.D., & Griffin, D.W. (1996). The construction of risk in relationships: The role of framing in decisions about relationships. Personal Relationships 3: 293-306.
8. Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
9. Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. New York: Basic Books.
10. Bowlby, J. (1979). The making and breaking of affectional bonds. London: Tavistock.
11. Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Clinical applications of attachment theory. London: Routledge.
12. Brennan, K.A., Clark, C.L., & Shaver, P.R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview (pp. 46-76). In J.A. Simpson & W.S. Rholes (eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships. New York: Guilford Press.
13. Brennan, K., & Shaver, P.R. (1995). Dimensions of adult attachment, affect regulation, and romantic relationship functioning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 21: 567-583.
14. Byng-Hall, J. (1999). Family couple therapy: Toward greater security (pp. 625-645). In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York: Guilford Press.
15. Carnelley, K.B., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992). Optimism about love relationships: General vs specific lessons from one's personal experiences. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 9: 5-20.
16. Carnelley, K.B., Pietromonaco, P.R., & Jaffe, K. (1994). Depression, working models of others, and relationship functioning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 66: 127-140.
17. Carnelley, K.B., Pietromonaco, P.R., & Jaffe, K. (1996). Attachment, caregiving, and relationship functioning in couples. Personal Relationships 3: 257-277.
18. Chappell, K.D., & Davis, K.E. (1998). Attachment, partner choice, and perception of romantic partners: An experimental test of the attachment-security hypothesis. Personal Relationships 5: 327-342.
19. Cohn, D.A., Cowan, P.A., Cowan, C.P., & Pearson, J. (1992). Mothers' and fathers' working models of childhood attachment relationships, parenting styles, and child behavior. Development and Psychopathology 4: 417-431.
20. Cohn, D.A., Silver, D.H., Cowan, C.P., Cowan, P.A., & Pearson, J. (1992). Working models of childhood attachment and couple relationships. Journal of Family Issues 13: 432-449.
21. Collins, N.L. (1996). Working models of attachment: Implications for explanation, emotion, and behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 71: 810-832.
22. Collins, N.L., & Feeney, B.C. (2000). A safe haven: An attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78: 1053-1073.
23. Collins, N.L., & Read, S.J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58: 644-663.
24. Collins, N.L., & Read, S.J. (1994). Cognitive representations of attachment: The structure and function of working models (pp. 53-92). In K. Bartholomew & D. Perlman (eds.), Attachment processes in adulthood. London: Jessica Kingsley.
25. Cowan, P.A., Bradburn, I., & Cowan, C.P. (in press). Parents' working models of attachment: the intergenerational context of problem behavior in kindergarten. In P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, J. Ablow, V.K. Johnson, & J. Measelle (eds.). The family context of parenting in children's adaptation to elementary school. Monographs in Parenting.
26. Cowan, P.A., & Cowan, C.P. (2001). A couple perspective on the transmission of attachment patterns, (pp. 62-82). In C. Clulow (ed.). Adult attachment and couple psychotherapy: The "secure base" in practice and research. London: Brunner-Routledge.
27. Cowan, P.A., Cowan, C.P., & Heming, T. (in press). Two variations of a preventive intervention for couples: effects on parents and children during the transition to elementary school. In P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, J. Ablow, V.K. Johnson, & J. Measelle (eds.). The family context of parenting in children's adaptation to elementary school. Monographs in Parenting.
28. Cowan, P.A., Cohn, D., Cowan, C.P., & Pearson, J.L. (1996). Parents' attachment histories and children's internalizing and externalizing behavior: Exploring family systems models of linkage. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 64: 53-63.
29. Cowan, P.A., & Cowan, C.P. (2002). What an intervention design reveals about how parents affect their children's academic achievement and behavior problems (pp. 75-98). In J.G. Borkowski, S. Ramey, & M. Bristol-Power (eds.), Parenting and the child's world: Influences on intellectual, academic, and social-emotional development. Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
30. Cozzarelli, C., Hoekstra, S.J., & Bylsma, W.H. (2000). General versus specific mental models of attachment: Are they associated with different outcomes? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26: 605-618.
31. Crowell, J.A., & Feldman, S.S. (1989). Mothers' working models of attachment relationships and mother and child behavior during separation and reunion. Developmental Psychology 27: 597-605.
32. Crowell, J., & Treboux, D. (2001). Attachment security in adult partnerships (pp. 28-42). In C. Clulow (ed.), Adult attachment and couple psychotherapy: The "secure base" in practice and research. London: Brunner-Routledge.
33. Davies, P.T., & Cummings, E.M. (1998). Exploring children's emotional security as a mediator of the link between marital relations and child adjustment. Child Development 69: 124-139.
34. Davila, J., Bradbury, T.N., & Fincham, F. (1998). Negative affectivity as a mediator of the association between adult attachment and marital satisfaction. Personal Relationships 5: 467-484.
35. Davila, J., Karney, B.R., & Bradbury, T.N. (1999). Attachment change processes in the early years of marriage. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 76: 783-802.
36. Diehl, M., Elnick, A.B., Bourbeau, L.S., & Labouvie-Vief, G. (1998). Adult attachment styles: Their relations to family context and personality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74: 1656-1669.
37. Doi, S.C., & Thelen, M.H. (1993). The Fear of Intimacy Scale: Replication and extension. Psychological Assessment 5: 377-383.
38. Feeney, B.C., & Kirkpatrick, L.A. (1996). Effects of adult attachment and presence of romantic partners on physiological responses to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 70: 255-270.
39. Feeney, J.A. (1994). Attachment style, communication patterns and satisfaction across the life cycle of marriage. Personal Relationships 1: 333-348.
40. Feeney, J.A. (1996). Attachment, caregiving, and marital satisfaction. Personal Relationships 3: 401-416.
41. Feeney, J.A. (1999a). Adult romantic attachment and couple relationships (pp. 355-377). In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York: Guilford Press.
42. Feeney, J. (1999b). Issues of closeness and distance in dating relationships: Effects of sex and attachment style. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 16: 571-590.
43. Feeney, J.A. (1999c). Adult attachment, emotional control, and marital satisfaction. Personal Relationships 6: 169-185.
44. Feeney, J.A., & Noller, P. (1990). Attachment style as a predictor of adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58: 281-291.
45. Feeney, J.A., & Noller, P. (1991). Attachment style and verbal descriptions of romantic partners. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 8: 187-215.
46. Feeney, J.A., & Noller, P. (1992). Attachment style and romantic love: Relationship dissolution. Australian Journal of Psychology 44: 69-74.
47. Feeney, J., Noller, P., & Callan, V.J. (1994). Attachment style, communication and satisfaction in the early years of marriage (pp. 269-308). In Bartholomew, K., & Perlman, D. (eds.), Attachment processes in adulthood. London: Jessica Kingsley.
48. Feeney, J.A., Noller, P., & Patty, J. (1993). Adolescents' interactions with opposite sex: Influence of attachment style and gender. Journal of Adolescence 16: 169-186.
49. Fitzpatrick, M.A., Fey, J., Segrin, C., & Schiff, J.L. (1993). Internal working models of relationships and marital communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 12: 103-131.
50. Fraley, R.C., & Shaver, P.R. (1998). Airport separations: A naturalistic study of adult attachment dynamics in separating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75: 1198-1212.
51. Fraley, R.C., Waller, N.G., & Brennan, K.A. (2000). An item-response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78: 350-365.
52. Frazier, P.A., Byer, A.L., Fischer, A.R., Wright, D.M., & DeBord, K.A. (1996). Adult attachment style and partner choice: Correlational and experimental findings. Personal Relationships 3: 117-136.
53. Fuller, T.L., & Fincham, F.D. (1995). Attachment style in married couples: Relation to current marital functioning, stability over time, and method of assessment. Personal Relationships 2: 17-34.
54. Gaines, S.O. Jr., Granrose, C.S., Rios, D.I., Garcia, B.F., Young, M.S., Farris, K.R., & Bledsoe, K.L. (1999). Patterns of attachment and responses to accommodative dilemmas among interethnic/interracial couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 16: 275-285.
55. Gaines, S.O., Jr., Reis, H.T., Summers, S., Rusbult, C.E., Cox, C.L., Wexler, M.O., Marelich, W.D., & Kurland, G.J. (1997). Impact of attachment style on reactions to accommodative dilemmas in close relationships. Personal Relationships 4: 93-113.
56. George, C., Kaplan, N., & Main, M. (1985). The Adult Attachment Interview. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley.
57. Gerlsma, C., Buunk, B.P., & Mutsaers, W.C.M. (1996). Correlates of self-reported adult attachment styles in a Dutch sample of married men and women. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 13: 313-320.
58. Green-Hennessy, S., & Reis, H.T. (1998). Openness in processing social information among attachment types. Personal Relationships 5: 449-466.
59. Gottman, J.M. (1993). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
60. Gottman, J.M., & Levenson, R.W. (2000). The timing of divorce: Predicting when a couple will divorce over a 14-year period. Journal of Marriage & the Family 62: 737-745.
61. Guerrero, L.K. (1996). Attachment-style differences in intimacy and involvement: A test of the Four-Category Model. Communication Monographs 63: 269-292.
62. Haft, W., & Slade, A. (1989). Affect attunement and maternal attachment: A pilot study. Journal of Infant Mental Health 10: 157-172.
63. Hazan, C., & Shaver, P.R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52: 511-524.
64. Hendrick, C., & Hendrick, S. (1989). Research on love: Does it measure up? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 56: 784-794.
65. Hesse, E. (1999). The Adult Attachment Interview: Historical and current perspectives (pp. 395-433). In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical implications. New York: Guilford Press.
66. Hill, E.M., Young, J.P., & Nord, J.L. (1994). Childhood adversity, attachment, security, and adult relationships: A preliminary study. Ethology and Sociobiology 15: 323-338.
67. Jones, J.T., & Cunningham, J.D. (1996). Attachment styles and other predictors of relationship satisfaction in dating couples. Personal Relationships 3: 387-399.
68. Keelan, J.R., Dion, K.L., & Dion, K.K. (1994). Attachment style and heterosexual relationships among young adults: A short-term panel study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 11: 201-214.
69. Keelan, J.P.R., Dion, K.K., & Dion, K.L. (1998). Attachment style and relationship satisfaction: Test of a self-disclosure explanation. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 30: 24-35.
70. Kirkpatrick, L.A. (1998). Evolution, pair-bonding, and reproductive strategies: A reconceptualization of adult attachment (pp. 353-393). In J.A. Simpson & W.S. Rholes (eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships. New York: Guilford Press.
71. Kirkpatrick, L.A., & Davis, K.E. (1994). Attachment style, gender, and relationship stability: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 66: 502-512.
72. Kirkpatrick, L.A., & Hazan, C. (1994). Attachment styles and close relationships: A four-year prospective study. Personal Relationships 1: 123-142.
73. Klohnen, E.C., & Bera, S. (1998). Behavioral and experiential patterns of avoidantly and securely attached women across adulthood: A 31-year longitudinal perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74: 211-223.
74. Kobak, R.R., & Hazan, C. (1991). Attachment in marriage: Effects of security and accuracy of working models. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 60: 861-869.
75. Kunce, L.J., & Shaver, P.R. (1994). An attachment-theoretical approach to caregiving in romantic relationships (pp. 205-237). In K. Bartholomew & D. Perlman (eds.), Advances in personal relationships (Vol. 5). London: Jessica Kingsley.
76. Latty-Mann, H., & Davis, K.E. (1996). Attachment theory and partner choice: Preference and actuality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 13: 5-23.
77. Levenson, R.W., & Gottman, J.G. (1983). Marital interaction: Physiological linkage and affective exchange. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45: 587-597.
78. Levy, M.B., & Davis, K.E. (1988). Lovestyles and attachment styles compared: Their relations to each other and to various relationship characteristics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 5: 439-471.
79. Lussier, Y., Sabourin, S., & Turgeon, C. (1997). Coping strategies as moderators of the relationship between attachment and marital adjustment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 14: 777-791.
80. Main, M., & Goldwyn, R. (1988). Adult attachment scoring and classification system. Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Berkeley, available from first author.
81. Main, M., Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 50: 66-104.
82. Mayseless, O., Sharabany, R., & Sagi, A. (1997). Attachment concerns of mothers as manifested in parental, spousal, and friendship relationships. Personal Relationships 4: 255-269.
83. McCarthy, G. (1999). Attachment style and adult love relationships and friendships: A study of a group of women at risk of experiencing relationship difficulties. British Journal of Medical Psychology 72: 305-321.
84. McCarthy, G., & Taylor, A. (1999). Avoidant/ambivalent attachment style as a mediator between abusive childhood experiences and adult relationship difficulties. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 40: 465-477.
85. Mikulincer, M. (1997). Adult attachment style and information processing: Individual differences in curiosity and cognitive closure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 72: 1217-1230.
86. Mikulincer, M. (1998). Attachment working models and the sense of trust: An exploration of interaction goals and affect regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74: 1209-1224.
87. Mikulincer, M., & Arad, D. (1999). Attachment, working models, and cognitive openness in close relationships: A test of chronic and temporary accessibility effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77: 710-725.
88. Mikulincer, M., & Erev, I. (1991). Attachment style and the structure of romantic love. British Journal of Social Psychology 30: 273-291.
89. Mikulincer, M., & Florian, V. (1999). The association between spouses' self-reports of attachment styles and representations of family dynamics. Family Process 38: 69-83.
90. Mikulincer, M., & Florian, V. (2001). Attachment style and affect regulation - Implications for coping with stress and mental health (pp. 537-557). In G. Fletcher & M. Clark (eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Interpersonal Processes. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers.
91. Mikulincer, M., Horesh, N., Levy-Shiff, R., Manovich, R., & Shalev, J. (1998). The contribution of adult attachment style to the adjustment to infertility. British Journal of Medical Psychology 71: 265-280.
92. Mikulincer, M., & Nachshon, O. (1991). Attachment style and patterns of self-disclosure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 61: 321-332.
93. Mikulincer, M., & Selinger, M. (2001). The interplay between attachment and affiliation systems in adolescents' same-sex friendship: The role of attachment style. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 18: 81-106.
94. Morrison, T.L., Urquiza, A.J., & Goodlin-Jones, B.L. (1997). Attachment, perceptions of interaction, and relationship adjustment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 14: 627-642.
95. Pietromonaco, P., & Carnelley, K. (1994). Gender and working models of attachment: Consequences for perceptions of self and romantic partners. Personal Relationships 1: 63-82.
96. Pistole, M.C. (1989). Attachment in adult romantic relationships: Style of conflict resolution and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 6: 505-512.
97. Pistole, M.C. (1993). Attachment relationships: Self-disclosure and trust. Journal of Mental Health Counseling 15: 94-106.
98. Pistole, M.C., Clark, E.M., & Tubbs, A.L. (1995). Love relationships: Attachment style and the investment model. Journal of Mental Health Counseling 17: 199-209.
99. Pistole, M.C., & Vocaturo, L.C. (1999). Attachment and commitment in college students' romantic relationships. Journal of College Student Development 40: 710-720.
100. Rempel, J.K., Holmes, J.G., & Zanna, M.P. (1985). Trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 49: 95-112.
101. Rholes, W.S., Simpson, J.A., & Blakely, B.S. (1995). Adult attachment styles and mothers' relationships with their young children. Personal Relationships 2: 35-54.
102. Scharfe, E., & Bartholomew, K. (1995). Accommodation and attachment representations in couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 12: 389-401.
103. Senchak, M., & Leonard, K.E. (1992). Attachment styles and marital adjustment among newlywed couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 9: 51-64.
104. Shaver, P.R., Belsky, J., & Brennan, K.A. (2000). The adult attachment interview and self-reports of romantic attachment: Associations across domains and methods. Personal Relationships 7: 25-43.
105. Shaver, P.R., & Brennan, K.A. (1992). Attachment styles and the "Big Five" personality traits: Their connections with each other and with romantic relationship outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 18: 536-545.
106. Shaver, P.R., & Hazan, C. (1993). Adult romantic attachment: Theory and evidence (pp. 29-70). In D. Perlman & W. Jones (eds.), Advances in personal relationships (Vol. 4). London: Jessica Kingsley.
107. Simpson, J.A. (1990). Influence of attachment styles on romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 59: 871-980.
108. Simpson, J.A., Rholes, W.S., & Nelligan, J.S. (1992). Support seeking and support giving within couples in an anxiety-provoking situation: The role of attachment styles. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 62: 434-446.
109. Simpson, J.A., Rholes, W.S., & Phillips, D. (1996). Conflict in close relationships: An attachment perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 71: 899-914.
110. Sroufe, L.A., Carlson, E., & Shulman, S. (1993). Individuals in relationships: Development from infancy through adolescence (pp. 315-342). In D.C. Funder, R. Parke, C. Tomlinson-Keesey, & K. Widaman (eds.), Studying lives through time: Personality and development. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
111. Thelen, M.H., Sherman, M.D., & Borst, T.S. (1998). Fear of intimacy and attachment among rape survivors. Behavior Modification 22: 108-116.
112. Tucker, J.S., & Anders, S.L. (1998). Adult attachment style and nonverbal closeness in dating couples. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 22: 124-109.
113. Tucker, J.S., & Anders, S.L. (1999). Attachment style, interpersonal perception accuracy, and relationship satisfaction in dating couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 25: 403-412.
114. van IJzendoorn, M.H. (1995). Adult attachment representations, parental responsiveness, and infant attachment: A meta-analysis on the predictive validity of the Adult Attachment Interview. Psychological Bulletin 117: 387-403.
115. Volling, B.L., Notaro, P.C., & Larsen, J.J. (1998). Adult attachment styles: Relations with emotional well-being, marriage, and parenting. Family Relations 47: 355-367.
116. Wagner, B., & Reiss, D. (1995). Family systeins and developmental psychopathology: Courtship, marriage, or divorce? (pp. 696-730). In D. Cicchetti & D.J. Cohen (eds.) (1995). Developmental psychopathology, Vol. I: Theory and methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
117. Waters, U.S., Rodrigues, L.M., & Ridgeway, D. (1998). Cognitive underpinnings of narrative attachment assessment. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 71: 211-234.
118. Weiss, R.S. (1998). A taxonomy of relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 15: 671-683.
119. Whisman, M.A., & Allan, L.E. (1996). Attachment and social cognition theories of romantic relationships: Convergent or complementary perspectives? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 13: 263-278.
120. Whitaker, D.J., Beach, S.R.H., Etherton, J., Wakefield, R., & Anderson, P.L. (1999). Attachment and expectations about future relationships: Moderation by accessibility. Personal Relationships 6: 41-56.