Perceived Partner Anxiety and Avoidance and Components of Relationship Quality: A Truth and Bias Analysis

Individual attachment greatly influences individuals' lives, from their choice of partners to the experiences shared with them. Thus, it is likely that attachment colors how individuals perceive their partners as well. The current study explored perceived partner attachment dyadically using the truth and bias model and sought to understand how these perceptions predict components of relationship quality. Using a community sample of 87 couples, the findings indicated that attachment anxiety and avoidance biased perceptions of partner attachment anxiety and avoidance, and these biases were subsequently associated with commitment, satisfaction, intimacy, and passion. Specifically, biased perceptions of partner anxiety were associated with lower levels of commitment and satisfaction, and biased perceptions of partner avoidance were associated with lower levels of intimacy and passion, though true partner avoidance contributed to lower levels of intimacy and passion as well. These findings can help counselors understand how couples perceive their partner's attachments and provide a basis for developing methods to improve relationships.