Hypotheses
Attachment theory can be described as an enduring and deep emotional bond that develops a connection between one person with the other. Attachment does not mean that it has to be reciprocal and the attachment theory also highlights that one person may have a one-sided attachment. The attachment theory is a complex theory that deals with the development of the personality. Attachment can be defined as the bond of affection that develops due to the early interaction between the attachment figure like a mother (Brennan, Shaver and Tobey 1991). The study discusses on the gender differences in the styles of attachment with regards to the conflict handling behaviours among the adolescents; the association that exists between the adult attachment styles for the resolution of conflicts in the romantic relationships; attachment styles and the issues related to gender and a parental drinking problem.
The 3 articles have highlighted that the adults that are fearful, disoriented and disorganized are the children that are common in families troubled by the parental abuse, depression and alcoholism. Results from one article revealed that there is an association between conflict handling and attachment styles and additionally gender differences are noticed in the attachment styles (Kara?rmak and Duran 2008). Whereas, Shi (2003), has demonstrated through the study that there exist no gender differences between the attachment styles. One of the major gaps identified in the study conducted by Kara?rmak and Duran (2008) is that the study has scores that are mainly based on the self-reported measures and this may tend to become a mono-method bias. The aim of the study is to answer the research question: Do men and women differ in the types of attachment styles they exhibit in adult life?
Hypothesis 1- The males will show higher scores of secure attachment style in comparison to the females.
Hypothesis 2- The males will show higher scores of preoccupied attachment style in comparison to the females.
Hypothesis 3- The females will show higher scores of fearful attachment style in comparison to the males.
Hypothesis 4- The males will show higher scores of dismissing attachment style in comparison to the females.
A total of 1548 participants are selected to complete a survey. These participants were the families and friends of the psychology students that were studying in the first year in Australia. Among the total 1548 participants, 1064 were females and the 474 participants were males. The remaining were 10 others. The average age of the participants was 29.9 that had a standard deviation of 14.09. The maximum age of the participants was 84 years while the remaining was 18 years. The 745 respondents were the current students, 788 were the non-students and the remaining 15 did not answer the question.
Method
Each of the participants was told to complete a Relationship Styles Questionnaire (RSQ) which is a 30 item version and were also asked to complete the demographic details (Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). The 30 statements in RSQ along with the average agreement were calculated to create an attachment style score for each of the participants and were tallied with the 4 types of the attachment styles mentioned and proposed by Bartholomew. The 4 different attachment styles were: dismissing, fearful, preoccupied and secure (Brennan, Shaver, & Tobey, 1991). The HPS121 teaching team used the SPSS statistics and they have collated and analysed the data.
Four independent measures (t-tests) were conducted in order to see whether there is any difference for the gender in the 4 different attachment style scores that are found within Australia.
Table 1:
Mean attachment style scores by gender
|
Secure |
Fearful |
Preoccupied |
Dismissing |
|||||
|
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
|
|
Male |
2.86 |
0.62 |
2.57 |
0.87 |
2.56 |
0.79 |
3.19 |
0.69 |
|
Female |
2.74 |
0.62 |
2.75 |
0.90 |
2.70 |
0.76 |
3.19 |
0.65 |
|
t score- t(1536) |
3.539, p<.05 |
-3.690, p<.05 |
-3.131, p<.05 |
-.015, p>.05 |
An independent measures t-test was conducted to determine if there was a significantly different level of secure attachment for males and females. Results showed that males scored a mean average of 2.86 (SD = 0.62), while females scored a mean average of 2.74 (SD=0.62). This difference was not significant
An independent measures t-test was conducted to determine if there was a significantly different level of fearful attachment for males and females. Results showed that males scored a mean average of 2.57 (SD = 0.87), while females scored a mean average of 2.75 (SD=0.90). This difference was significant.
An independent measures t-test was conducted to determine if there was a significantly different level of preoccupied attachment for males and females. Results showed that males scored a mean average of 2.56 (SD = 0.79), while females scored a mean average of 2.7 (SD=0.76). This difference was significant.
An independent measures t-test was conducted to determine if there was a significantly different level of dismissing attachment for males and females. Results showed that males scored a mean average of 3.19 (SD = 0.69), while females scored a mean average of 3.19 (SD=0.65). This difference was significant.
The fundamental of the attachment theory is rooted in the object relations theory. Ambivalent/anxious, avoidant and secure are the attachment responses that are developed during the times of early childhood. Attachment at the same time gets activated through a close relationship during the entire adulthood and provides a capacity for a comfort, security, intimacy, affectionate bond between the close relationships. According to the 4 group model, individuals that have a positive view of the others, as well as themselves, feel comfortable in their primary relationship. Such individuals fall under the secure category. The persons that have the dismissing attachment style tend to have a negative view of others while having a positive view of themselves. The persons that are preoccupied tend to have a positive view of themselves while they have a negative of themselves. Thus, they consider themselves as unlovable (Kara?rmak and Duran 2008). Such individuals have a tendency to become dependent on their partners and they also show a clinging behaviour. The fearful types tend to show a negative view of themselves as well as the others and these individuals tend to be fearful about intimacy and their relationship. Thus, the attachment styles are the behaviour patterns that exist in a close relationship and this includes the better relationship quality, self –disclosure, close relationship, being more optimistic about the relationship, expression of intimacy and love, jealousy and self-blame, bereavement reactions, relationship trust and satisfaction. The study thus shares one of the aspects of examination which calls for an analysis of the attachment styles and how it is associated with the management of conflict in close relationships. It is important to note that the handling of the conflict in a close relationship gets affected by the type of attachment style established during the initial years. There are two dimensions, firstly that includes the concern for self and also the concern for others, while the second one is the belief of oneself and the belief about the others. The 5 conflict handling behaviours noticed in people are: compromising, accommodating, competing, avoiding, collaborating (Griffin and Bartholomew 1994). Collaborating is a problem solving that involves the high levels of concern for self and others. It is a desire to satisfy the concerns of both the parties. Avoiding is a low concern for self and for others and this means withdrawal during the times of threatening situations. Competing is also called dominating and this can be related to the high levels of concern for self and for others, and this emphasizes one’s own desires and needs at the expense of others. Accommodating is like obliging and it shows low concern for self and high levels of concern for others. This emphasises on the appeasement involves satisfying the other concerns without having concerns of others. Compromising, on the other hand, is located at the intersection level and implies concern for self and others (Kara?rmak and Duran 2008).
Results
A study carried out by Shi (2003), have led the founding that poor conflict resolution results from the communication skills are inadequate. Attachment style is associated with the behaviours of conflict resolution and relationship satisfaction. When the conflict resolution is taken in to account, an example of a couple can be taken. In this example, the demands of wife changes and the emotional closeness as well, while the husband disengages or avoids from the process. The level of withdrawal is directly linked with the wife’s level of demand. During conflict resolution, the wife and husband will do the following: express empathy and care during a conflict, integrating into the other’s opinion, seeking areas of agreement, negotiating and compromising, disclosing their positions and feelings.
The main aim of the study is to answer the research question: Do men and women differ in the types of attachment styles they exhibit in adult life? The 4 hypothesis selected for the study are: Hypothesis 1- The males will show higher scores of secure attachment style in comparison to the females; Hypothesis 2- The males will show higher scores of preoccupied attachment style in comparison to the females; Hypothesis 3- The females will show higher scores of fearful attachment style in comparison to the males; Hypothesis 4- The males will show higher scores of dismissing attachment style in comparison to the females.
The results have from the table 1, reveal that the females have the tendency to top three attachment styles such as dismissing, fearful and preoccupied. While the dismissing attachment style is showed similar scores in comparison to the males. The first hypothesis is in accordance with the results, and the males have a higher mean score of 2.86 and the females have lower 2.74 scores. The second hypothesis did not prove to be in alignment with the results because the males are low mean scores with respect to the females. The third hypothesis, however, is aligning with the results, and the 4th hypothesis is not in accordance with the results because both the male and female mean scores are similar.
The limitations of the study: the population size considered is less and this can reduce the effectivity of the results. The second limitation is the studies are conducted through the self- reported questionnaire and this might contain biased data.
Thus, in order to solve the issue, the population size can be increased to make the results more effective for the general populations. The self-reported questionnaire can be analysed by a group to avoid the data discrepancy and biasness. The future research can include the more parameters so that it handles the conflict resolution factors.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that attachment theory an enduring and deep emotional bond that develops a connection between one person with the other. Results reveal that the females have the tendency to top three attachment styles such as dismissing, fearful and preoccupied. The dismissing attachment style showed similar scores in comparison to the males. The first hypothesis is in accordance with the results, and the males have a higher mean score of 2.86 and the females have lower 2.74 scores. The second hypothesis is not aligned with the results because the males have a low mean score with respect to the females. The third hypothesis, however, is aligning with the results, and the 4th hypothesis is not in accordance with the results because both the male and female mean scores are similar.
References
Brennan, K.A., Shaver, P.R. and Tobey, A.E., 1991. Attachment styles, gender and parental problem drinking. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8(4), pp.451-466.
Griffin, D. W., and Bartholomew, K. (1994). The metaphysics of measurement: The case of adult attachment. In K. Bartholomew & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships, Vol. 5. Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 17-52). London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Kara?rmak, Ö. and Duran, N.O., 2008. Gender differences in attachment styles regarding conflict handling behaviors among Turkish late adolescents. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 30(4), pp.220-234.
Shi, L., 2003. The association between adult attachment styles and conflict resolution in romantic relationships. American Journal of Family Therapy, 31(3), pp.143-157.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
