Filling the Void: Bolstering Attachment Security in Committed Relationships

Department

Psychological Sciences

Document Type

Article

Publication Source

Social Psychological and Personality Science

Publication Date

2014-01-01

Volume

5

Issue

4

First Page

398

Last Page

406

Abstract

Attachment security has many salutary effects in adulthood, yet little is known about the specific interpersonal processes that increase attachment security over time. Using data from 134 romantically committed couples in a longitudinal study, we examined trust (whether a partner is perceived as available and dependable) and perceived goal validation (whether a partner is perceived as encouraging one's personal goal pursuits). In concurrent analyses, trust toward a partner was uniquely associated with lower attachment anxiety, whereas perceiving one's goal pursuits validated by a partner was uniquely associated with lower attachment avoidance. In longitudinal analyses, however, the inverse occurred: Trust toward a partner uniquely predicting reduced attachment avoidance over time and perceived goal validation uniquely predicting reduced attachment anxiety over time. These findings highlight distinct temporal paths for bolstering the security of attachment anxious versus attachment avoidant individuals. © The Author(s) 2013.

Keywords

attachment, close relationships, goals, interdependence, personality development

DOI

10.1177/1948550613509287

https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613509287

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