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Prorelationship maintenance behaviors: the joint roles of attachment and commitment
1Department of Psychology, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA. sitran@vassar.edu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|September 30, 2009
Summary
Relationship commitment buffers anxious attachment insecurities in couples facing threats. Wives' commitment impacts partners more, and emotional reactions influence accommodation behaviors for both.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Attachment theory explains how early relationship experiences influence adult romantic relationships.
- Anxious attachment is linked to negative emotional and behavioral responses in relationships.
- Interpersonal threat can trigger attachment-related insecurities and maladaptive behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate emotional and behavioral responses to interpersonal threats in married couples.
- To examine the buffering effect of relationship commitment on attachment insecurities.
- To explore the dyadic influence of commitment and emotional reactions on accommodation.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral observation methodology was employed.
- Married couples were observed reacting to threatening interpersonal situations.
- Emotional and behavioral reactions, as well as accommodation behaviors, were assessed.
Main Results:
- Anxious attachment hinders constructive responses to threats.
- Relationship commitment mitigates negative effects of attachment insecurities, promoting acceptance and accommodation.
- Wives' commitment has a stronger impact on emotional outcomes than husbands'.
- Partners' emotional reactions influence their own and their spouse's accommodation behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Relationship commitment is a crucial factor in navigating interpersonal threats within marriage.
- Understanding dyadic emotional dynamics and commitment is key to fostering constructive accommodation.
- Attachment and interdependence theories provide a framework for interpreting these findings.
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