Skip to main content
Log in

Exploring the Impact of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance on the Perception of Couple Conflict

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Contemporary Family Therapy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Attachment anxiety and avoidance have been shown to affect how an individual processes social information such as facial expressions. Previous work has not explored perception of couple relationships. The current study had 39 individuals observe images and videos of couples in conflict. Results suggest that individuals with higher attachment anxiety perceived more intensity in negative interactions/affect and less positive interactions/affect in the couples they observed. Implications for therapy, clinical supervision, and family life education are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baldwin, M. W. (1992). Relational schemas and the processing of social information. Psychological Bulletin, 112(3), 461–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7(2), 147–178. doi:10.1177/0265407590072001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226–244. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment: Attachment and loss (vol. 1). London: Hogarth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Separation (Vol. 2). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. III. Loss. New York: Basic Book Inc., Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss (Second ed. Vol. I). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Busby, D. M., Crane, D. R., Larson, J. H., & Christensen, C. (1995). A revision of the dyadic adjustment scale for use with distressed and nondistressed couples: Construct hierarchy and multidimensional scales. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21(3), 289–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S., Boucher, H. C., & Tapias, M. P. (2006). The relational self revealed: Integrative conceptualization and implications for interpersonal life. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 151–179. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, R. M., Rowe, A. C., Penton-Voak, I. S., & Ludwig, C. (2009). No reliable effects of emotional facial expression, adult attachment orientation, or anxiety on the allocation of visual attention in the spatial cueing paradigm. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(4), 643–652. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2009.03.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewitte, M., & De Houwer, J. (2008). Adult attachment and attention to positive and negative emotional face expressions. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(2), 498–505. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2007.07.010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dykas, M. J., & Cassidy, J. (2011). Attachment and the processing of social information across the life span: Theory and evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 137(1), 19–46. doi:10.1037/a0021367.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edelstein, R. S., & Gillath, O. (2008). Avoiding interference: Adult attachment and emotional processing biases. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(2), 171–181. doi:10.1177/0146167207310024.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 350–365. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.350.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gottman, J. M., McCoy, K., Coan, J., & Collier, H. (1995). The specific affect coding system (SPAFF) for observing emotional communication in marital and family interaction. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hesse, E. (2008). The Adult Attachment Interview: Protocol, method of analysis, and empirical studies. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 552–598). New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langer, E. J. (2009). Counter clockwise: Mindful health and the power of possibility. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, M. A., Bernier, A., Pekrun, R., Zimmermann, P., Strasser, K., & Grossmann, K. E. (2005). Attachment state of mind and perceptual processing of emotional stimuli. Attachment & Human Development, 7(1), 67–81. doi:10.1080/14616730500039606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markman, H. J., & Rhoades, G. K. (2012). Relationship education research: Current status and future directions. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 38(1), 169–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2008). Adult attachment and affect regulation. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 503–531). New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., Sapir-Lavid, Y., & Avihou-Kanza, N. (2009). What’s inside the minds of securely and insecurely attached people? The secure-base script and its associations with attachment-style dimensions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(4), 615–633. doi:10.1037/a0015649.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Niedenthal, P. M., Brauer, M., Robin, L., & Innes-Ker, Å. H. (2002). Adult attachment and the perception of facial expression of emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(3), 419–433. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.82.3.419.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silva, C., Soares, I., & Esteves, F. (2012). Attachment insecurity and strategies for regulation: When emotion triggers attention. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 53, 9–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A., & Belsky, J. (2008). Attachment theory within a modern evolutionary framework. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 131–157). New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suslow, T., Dannlowski, U., Arolt, V., & Ohrmann, P. (2010). Adult attachment avoidance and automatic affective response to sad facial expressions. Australian Journal of Psychology, 62(4), 181–187. doi:10.1080/00049530903567203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R. J., Schulz, M. S., Hauser, S. T., Allen, J. P., & Crowell, J. A. (2004). Reading others’ emotions: The role of intuitive judgments in predicting marital satisfaction, quality, and stability. Journal of Family Psychology, 18(1), 58–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Werner-Wilson, R. J., Lianekhammy, J., Frey, L., Parker, T., Wood, N., et al. (2011). Alpha asymmetry in female military spouses. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 23, 202–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nathan D. Wood.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wood, N.D., Werner-Wilson, R.J., Parker, T.S. et al. Exploring the Impact of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance on the Perception of Couple Conflict. Contemp Fam Ther 34, 416–428 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9202-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9202-x

Keywords

Navigation