Abstract
Early relationships formed between parent and child are thought to guide the child's feelings, thoughts and expectations in subsequent adult relationships. We examined the relationship between two four category models of perceptions of parenting and adult attachment style among a nonclinical cohort. Parenting style was assessed using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and adult attachment, using the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ).
Highlights
Application of attachment theory to adultsAttachment theory by the English psychiatrist John Bowlby [1,2]who studied the patterns of interaction between infants and their primary caregivers
We explored the relationship between 4 parenting quadrant and 4 adult attachment styles, with the prediction that optimal parenting would predict ‘secure’ attachment style, affectionate constraint would predict ‘preoccupied’ attachment, neglectful parenting would predict ‘dismissing’ attachment and affectionless control would predict
Association between 1978 Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) quadrant and 2008 Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) categories are presented in Table 1 for maternal and paternal quadrants respectively
Summary
Application of attachment theory to adultsAttachment theory by the English psychiatrist John Bowlby [1,2]who studied the patterns of interaction between infants and their primary caregivers. The extent to which the child considers him/herself worthy of such care and support from attachment figures contributes to the infant’s ‘internal working model’ of themselves. Drawing on Bowlby’s model, Main and colleagues [4] were among the first to assess continuity of attachment style across the lifespan. They applied attachment classifications developed for infants to adults, with the development of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). According to their model, ‘autonomous’ adult attachment is thought to reflect optimal early attachment experiences, whilst ‘unresolved’ adult attachment is considered the result of the least optimal attachment experiences. ‘Dismissing’ and ‘preoccupied’ styles are thought to result from rejecting and inconsistent childhood attachment experiences, respectively
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