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An attachment classification of desperate love.
1Department of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|January 1, 1991
Summary
This study links desperate love to dependent and resistant attachment styles. Findings revealed significant gender differences in this association, suggesting distinct intrapsychic experiences for men and women.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Attachment Theory
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding interpersonal relationships.
- Attachment styles, including secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant, influence emotional experiences.
- Desperate love, characterized by intense longing and fear of loss, warrants investigation within attachment frameworks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the association between desperate love and attachment styles.
- To test the hypothesis that desperate love correlates with dependent and resistant/ambivalent attachment styles.
- To examine potential gender differences in the relationship between desperate love and attachment.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multivariate regression analyses to examine associations.
- Modified Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, and Wall's (1978) taxonomy of attachment styles.
- Collected data to assess desperate love and attachment style correlations.
Main Results:
- Findings generally supported the hypothesized links between desperate love and dependent/resistant attachment styles.
- Significant gender differences emerged, indicating varied intrapsychic experiences.
- The initial hypothesis of no gender differences was not fully supported.
Conclusions:
- Desperate love is associated with specific attachment styles, particularly dependent and resistant.
- Gender plays a significant role in how desperate love is experienced and manifests attachment patterns.
- Future research should investigate causal pathways and gender-specific intrapsychic dynamics.