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Article
Patterns of Stability in Adult Attachment: An Empirical Test of Two Models of Continuity and Change
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2011)
  • Amanda M. Vicary, Illinois Wesleyan University
  • R. Chris Fraley
  • Claudia Chloe Brumbaugh
  • Glenn I. Roisman
Abstract
One of the core assumptions of attachment theory is that attachment representations are stable over time. Unfortunately, the data on attachment stability have been ambiguous, and as a result, alternative theoretical perspectives have evolved to explain them. The objective of the present research was to evaluate alternative models of stability by studying adults in 2 intensive longitudinal investigations. Specifically, we assessed attachment representations in 1 sample (N=203) daily over a 30-day period and in the other sample (N=388) weekly over a year. Analyses show that the patterns of stability that exist in adult attachment are most consistent with a prototype model—a model assuming that there is a stable factor underlying temporary variations in attachment. Moreover, although the Big Five personality traits exhibited a pattern of stability that was similar to that of attachment, they did not account for the stability observed in attachment.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2011
Publisher Statement
The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology is published by the American Psychological Association, http://www.apa.org/.
Citation Information
Amanda M. Vicary, R. Chris Fraley, Claudia Chloe Brumbaugh and Glenn I. Roisman. "Patterns of Stability in Adult Attachment: An Empirical Test of Two Models of Continuity and Change" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol. 101 Iss. 5 (2011)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/amanda_vicary/2/