Working models of attachment, support giving, and support seeking in a stressful situation Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This study examined how working models of attachment to parents (assessed by the Adult Attachment InterviewAAI) and romantic partners (assessed by the Adult Attachment QuestionnaireAAQ) predicted spontaneous caregiving and care seeking in a stressful situation. Dating couples were videotaped while one partner (the man) waited to do a stressful task. Observers then rated each womans support giving and each mans support seeking. The AAI and the AAQ independently predicted behavioral outcomes. Women with more secure representations of their parents and whose dating partners sought more support provided more support, whereas women with more secure representations of their parents whose partners sought less support provided less. Women who reported being more avoidantly attached to romantic partners provided less support than did less avoidant women, regardless of how much support their partners sought. Attachment orientations did not predict mens support seeking.

published proceedings

  • PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN

author list (cited authors)

  • Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., Orina, M. M., & Grich, J.

citation count

  • 171

complete list of authors

  • Simpson, JA||Rholes, WS||Orina, MM||Grich, J

publication date

  • January 2002