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An experimental manipulation of retrospectively defined earned and continuous attachment security
Glenn I Roisman1, Keren Fortuna, Ashley Holland
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820, USA. roisman@uiuc.edu
Child Development
|February 8, 2006
Summary
Mood influences how adults recall childhood experiences. Sadness can lead to classifying earned-security in attachment, while happiness aligns with continuous-security, impacting life narrative valence.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Longitudinal data indicate earned-secure attachment styles do not stem from infant anxiety or poor childhood parenting.
- However, earned-secures often report negative childhood experiences, posing a research question.
- This discrepancy suggests potential biases in recalling early life events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of experimentally induced mood on the valence of life narratives.
- To explore the role of mood-related recall biases in the classification of earned-secure attachment.
- To examine how induced mood affects the distinction between earned-secure and continuous-secure attachment styles.
Main Methods:
- Adult participants (18-25 years) underwent mood induction procedures (sadness or happiness).
- Life narratives were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI).
- Participants' attachment classifications (earned-secure vs. continuous-secure) were analyzed in relation to induced mood.
Main Results:
- Among securely attached adults, induced sadness increased the likelihood of earned-secure classification.
- Induced happiness was associated with a higher likelihood of continuous-secure classification.
- The induced mood state did not influence overall security versus insecurity classifications.
Conclusions:
- Mood states significantly influence the retrospective classification of attachment styles, particularly the earned-secure category.
- Depression-related biases in memory recall may contribute to the perception of negative childhood experiences in earned-secure individuals.
- Findings highlight the dynamic interplay between current emotional state and the construction of attachment-related life narratives.
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