The influence of attachment styles on romantic love

Abstract

Introduction The triangular theory of love posits intimacy, passion and commitment as the necessary components of romantic love (RL). Different attachment styles – secure, preoccupied, fearful-avoidant and dismissive – may influence the psychological variables of (RL). Aims To explore the relationship between the different attachment styles and intimacy, passion and commitment in RL in a sample of the general population in Serbia; and to ascertain the attachment style which correlates most closely with the components of RL. Method Attachment style was assessed by the Experiences in close relationships scale, and the components of RL by the Sternberg's Triangular love scale. The study sample comprised 312 persons of both sexes, aged between 18 and 50 years old, and who had been in RL for at least 3 months. Results The most frequent attachment style was secure (70.8%), followed by dismissive (14.4%), preoccupied (11.5%) and fearful-avoidant (3.2%). Persons with secure attachment style expressed a higher level of intimacy in RL as compared with persons with preoccupied and dismissive attachment styles ( P P Conclusion Persons with secure attachment style realize the highest levels of intimacy in RL, while those with fearful-avoidant the lowest. Passion and commitment were not influenced by attachment style. The psychotherapeutic intervention dealing with fearful-avoidant attachment style may have influence on realization of intimacy in RL.