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Motivations for providing a secure base: links with attachment orientation and secure base support behavior
Brooke C Feeney1, Nancy L Collins, Meredith Van Vleet
1Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Attachment & Human Development
|April 16, 2013
Summary
Understanding relationship support requires examining motivations. This study found distinct motivations for providing or withholding support, linking them to attachment styles and actual support behaviors in married couples.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Secure base support is crucial for relationship well-being and partner goal achievement.
- Individual differences in attachment orientation may influence how partners provide support.
- Understanding the motivations behind support provision is key to effective relationship functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of underlying motivations in predicting secure base support behavior.
- To determine if individual differences in attachment orientation predict support motivations.
- To explore the interplay between motivations, attachment, and observed support behaviors.
Main Methods:
- 189 married couples completed questionnaires assessing support motivations and attachment orientation.
- Couples participated in a laboratory session involving a discussion of personal goals.
- Secure base support behavior was assessed both through self-report and observation during the goal discussion.
Main Results:
- Distinct motivations for providing and withholding support were identified.
- These motivations were linked to individual differences in attachment orientation.
- Motivations significantly predicted observed secure base support behavior.
Conclusions:
- Underlying motivations are critical mechanisms influencing the provision of relational support.
- Attachment orientation is associated with specific support motivations.
- This research highlights the importance of exploring motivations for effective relationship support.
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