Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.

Dreaming

Dreaming

Sigmund Freud revolutionized our understanding of dreams by proposing that they are a window into the unconscious mind. According to Freud, dreams are not mere stories our minds create while we sleep but are profoundly meaningful narratives about our hidden desires and fears. He introduced two key concepts: manifest content and latent content. The manifest content is the actual content and imagery of the dream — what we remember when we wake up. The latent content, however, represents the...

Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles

Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles

Attachment theory, developed initially to explain infant–caregiver bonds, has been extended to illuminate patterns of intimacy in adult romantic relationships. Psychologists Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver proposed that the attachment styles observed in infancy form a framework for how individuals approach emotional closeness and conflict in adulthood. These attachment styles—secure, avoidant, and anxious—are linked to enduring patterns of behavior and emotional regulation in adult relationships.

Passionate Love

Passionate Love

Passionate love is a powerful emotional and physiological state that plays a significant role in human relationships. It is characterized by an intense longing for connection with another person and is often considered the foundation of romantic attraction. Psychological research identifies three fundamental components of passionate love: cognition, emotion, and behavior.Cognitive AspectsCognition in passionate love involves idealization and persistent thoughts about the loved one. Individuals...

Attachment Styles

Attachment Styles

Jeffrey Simpson's attachment theory suggests that early caregiver relationships shape lasting patterns of behavior and emotional regulation, known as attachment styles. These patterns are organized along two key dimensions: self-esteem and interpersonal trust. The intersection of these dimensions produces four primary attachment styles that typically persist throughout life and significantly influence how individuals form and maintain relationships.Secure Attachment StyleIndividuals with a...

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

We typically love the people with whom we form relationships, but the type of love we have for our family, friends, and lovers differs. Robert Sternberg (1986) proposed that there are three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. These three components form a triangle that defines multiple types of love: this is known as Sternberg’s triangular theory of love. Intimacy is the sharing of details and intimate thoughts and emotions. Passion is the physical attraction—the flame in the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Practitioner Review: Clinical insights from attachment theory and research for professionals working with young children and their families.

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines·2026

Same author

Moral Judgment Toward Individuals in Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships as a Function of Moral Foundations and Disgust Sensitivity.

Archives of sexual behavior·2025

Same author

Developmental change, bricolage, and how a lot of things develop: Mechanisms and changes in attachment across the lifespan.

Development and psychopathology·2024

Same author

Correction to: No Remorse: Sexual Infidelity Is Not Clearly Linked with Relationship Satisfaction or Well-Being in Ashley Madison Users.

Archives of sexual behavior·2023

Same author

No Remorse: Sexual Infidelity Is Not Clearly Linked with Relationship Satisfaction or Well-Being in Ashley Madison Users.

Archives of sexual behavior·2023

Same author

Cornerstones and discourses in attachment study: celebrating the publication of a new landmark.

Attachment & human development·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

Script-like attachment representations in dreams containing current romantic partners.

Dylan Selterman¹, Adela Apetroaia, Everett Waters

¹Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, USA. dselter@umd.edu

Attachment & Human Development

|August 4, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Secure attachment in romantic relationships is linked to dreams featuring partners acting as a secure base. This study connects waking attachment security with dream content about significant others.

More Related Videos

Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models

Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models

Published on: December 23, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models

Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models

Published on: December 23, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

Area of Science:

Psychology
Attachment Theory
Dream Research

Background:

Attachment styles influence various aspects of adult relationships.
Previous research suggests a link between general attachment styles and dream content.
The current study focuses on specific partner representations in dreams.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the connection between waking attachment representations and dream content involving romantic partners.
To test if dreams about partners follow the 'secure base script' predicted by attachment theory.
To explore the correspondence between secure attachment cognitions in waking life and dream narratives.

Main Methods:

Sixty-one undergraduate students in long-term relationships participated.
Participants completed the Secure Base Script Narrative Assessment.
Dream diaries were kept for 14 days, with dreams containing significant others coded for secure base content.

Main Results:

A significant association was found between relationship-specific attachment security and secure base script content in dreams.
Dreams about romantic partners reflected waking attachment security.
This supports the hypothesis of a correspondence between waking and dreaming attachment representations.

Conclusions:

Waking attachment security is associated with how romantic partners are depicted in dreams, specifically following a secure base script.
Findings enhance understanding of mental representations of specific attachment figures.
Implications for attachment theory and clinical practice are significant.