Abstract
Guided by attachment theory, this study examined how people with different adult attachment orientations think, feel, and behave when they and their dating partners experience a relationship threatening event: evaluating potential alternative partners. Participants discussed and rated slides of either highly attractive or less attractive opposite-sex people with their current dating partner. Women with a more secure orientation checked to see if their partner was feeling distressed during the task more frequently than avoidant women who were also more likely to not make inferences about what their partner was thinking or feeling. More secure men were more likely than avoidant men to show their distress when their partner was rating other males and also reported having had more extensive thoughts and feelings about their partner. Avoidant individuals were more likely to derogate the highly attractive targets than secure individuals whose ratings were more accurate. Women with a more ambivalent orientation were more empathically accurate (i.e., hypersensitive) when they inferred their partner's thoughts and feelings during the interaction, but they also reported personal thoughts and feelings indicating greater discomfort. These findings are discussed in the context of attachment theory.
Stevens, Jami Grich (1997). Dating relationships under threat: an adult attachment perspective. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1997 -THESIS -S736.