Abstract
Two potential correlates of interpersonal problem-solving strategies were studied: attachment cognitions, and global beliefs about self-worth. Problem-solving strategies were assessed through an interview in which participants were asked to conceptualize and solve hypothetical interpersonal problems. Direct and indirect associations between the variables were tested in a sample of 94 women making the transition to adulthood. The results showed that poor problem solving was associated with both low levels of global self-worth and attachment insecurity. Furthermore, global self-worth mediated the relationship between attachment cognitions and interpersonal problem-solving strategies, indicating that attachment insecurity had an indirect association with poor problem solving through low self-worth. A model for how early experience could lead to negative beliefs about self and others, and how these beliefs could lead to poor problem solving, is discussed.
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This article is based in part on the doctoral dissertation of the first author. This research was supported by an award from the William T. Grant Foundation to Constance Hammen.
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Davila, J., Hammen, C., Burge, D. et al. Cognitive/interpersonal correlates of adult interpersonal problem-solving strategies. Cogn Ther Res 20, 465–480 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02227908
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02227908