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Attachment theory proposes that close relationships help us to regulate our emotions in stressful and positive situations. However, no previous studies have examined preferences for a partner's emotional response to one's own stressful and positive situations or tested whether these preferences differ based on attachment orientation. This study examines the association of attachment orientation and preferences for partners' emotional responses relative to one's own emotional responses in stressful and positive contexts among 425 United States adults who were currently in a committed relationship of ≥6 months. Data were collected in 2020. Overall, participants preferred their partners to feel and express less distress, less worry, more calm, and more hope than themselves during stressful situations and for their partners to feel and express more excitement, pride, and hope than themselves during positive situations. Higher attachment anxiety predicted preferences for partners to feel and express more distress/worry in stressful situations, whereas higher attachment avoidance predicted preferences for partners to feel and express less hope in stressful situations. Statistical interactions of attachment anxiety × attachment avoidance indicated that the combination of low attachment anxiety and high attachment avoidance (dismissing avoidance) was associated with preferences for partners to feel and express less positive emotions in positive situations, whereas the combination of high attachment anxiety and high attachment avoidance (fearful avoidance) was associated with preferences for partners to feel and express more negative emotions in stressful situations and less positive emotions in positive situations. This investigation provides novel evidence for links between attachment orientation and preferences for partners' emotional responses in two theoretically important contexts, which has implications for the nature and function of emotion regulation in close relationships. Future research is needed to determine the generalizability of these findings to more collectivist cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although attachment theory has long posited a link between early experiences of care and children's prosocial behavior, investigations of this association have not embraced the multifaceted nature of prosociality. This study is the first to assess associations between child attachment and independent observations of helping, sharing, and comforting. Attachment quality in 3- to 5-year-old children (N = 137) was linked to all three prosocial behaviors. Additionally, bifactor analyses revealed distinct associations between attachment and children's general prosocial dispositions and their specific abilities to meet the unique challenges of helping and, marginally, comforting. These findings underscore the importance of considering multiple explanations for links between attachment and prosocial behavior and provide novel insights into sources of variation in children's prosociality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how representations of parent-child relationships, friendships, and past romantic relationships are related to subsequent romantic representations. Two-hundred 10th graders (100 female; Mage  = 15.87 years) from diverse neighborhoods in a Western U.S. city were administered questionnaires and were interviewed to assess avoidant and anxious representations of their relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners. Participants then completed similar questionnaires and interviews about their romantic representations six more times over the next 7.5 years. Growth curve analyses revealed that representations of relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners each uniquely predicted subsequent romantic representations across development. Consistent with attachment and behavioral systems theory, representations of romantic relationships are revised by representations and experiences in other relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a quasi-experimental design, the authors explored how supervisee attachment to supervisor predicted the supervisory relationship after recalling critical feedback from a supervisor. To examine effects of supervisee attachment system activation, participants were randomly assigned either to recall critical feedback from a supervisor (experimental condition) or to list objects in the room (control condition). Anxious and avoidant attachment to supervisor significantly predicted the supervisory relationship, but there were no significant differences among participants in either condition in predicting the supervisory relationship. Results are discussed in light of attachment theory, and implications for further investigating attachment dynamics in supervision are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the behavioral patterns of Native American college students in U.S. higher education. Attachment theory is the theoretical framework used in this analysis. Developed by Bowlby (Attachment and loss: Separation, anxiety and anger, ), attachment theory postulates that behaviors can be predicted based on one's personality, character qualities, and early life experiences. Overall, we found that attachment to Native American culture has made a positive difference in reversing academic struggles among Native Americans. Indeed, while it is difficult for Native Americans to change their attachment style, slight modifications have proved to help them become more secure. Even though various themes could have been explored, we investigated discrimination, academics, obedience to tribal culture, and alcoholism. Another important conclusion is that academic competence tends to be linked to certain indigenous beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data obtained from in-depth semistructured interviews, we examined international students' attachments to place in the local American Midwestern community where they have attended college for at least 2 years. he results of this study suggest that participants engage in a process of renegotiation of meanings attached to new places in ways that fulfill specific needs, such as a desire for social interaction, an opportunity for self-expression, and the expression of their emotional experience. he implications of the study results contribute to understanding the role of place attachments in the process of adjustment to another culture, as places seem to be evaluated and redefined so that they are experienced in congruence with the self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable research has examined the relationship between religion and mental health. This study adds to the literature in this area by addressing two main questions: (1) Is the frequency of prayer associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders among US adults? (2) Is this association conditional on the nature of individuals' attachment to God? We examine these questions using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey (N = 1,511). Results reveal no meaningful associations between the frequency of prayer and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, anxious attachment to God is positively correlated with psychiatric symptoms, while secure attachment to God bears a modest inverse association with these outcomes (when anxious attachment is excluded from the model). Results also show that prayer is inversely associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders among individuals who have a secure attachment to God, but positively associated with these outcomes among those who have a more insecure or avoidant attachment to God. Several study limitations and promising directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the relationship between attachment theory and the early childhood curriculum. During the first years of life children develop early attachment relationships with their primary caregivers. These attachment relationships, either secure or insecure, will shape children's socio-emotional development. In the USA, the predominant curricular approach is the one that situates the child at the center of the curriculum. This child-centered curriculum assumes a child that is able to act independently without experiencing great amounts of anxiety, easily establish relationships with peers and adults, and is an active constructor of his/her own knowledge. These are images of a child that has developed a secure attachment with his/her caregiver(s). This article argues that the dominant child-centered early childhood curriculum, based on the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, appears to be designed primarily for children with histories of secure attachments, and by not adapting to children's individual needs it might perpetuate attachment insecurities. This article not only questions pre-conceived images of children in early childhood curriculum but also rethinks the implications of integrating attachment theory into educational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors draw on data from a national random digit dial (RDD) telephone sample of 1,549 adult Americans conducted between October 15, 2001, and March 2, 2002, to explore the impact of a need for security on support for national security policies in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They examine support for protective government policies among individuals who vary in their ability to feel secure in the aftermath of terrorism, exploring the interaction between perceived threat and felt security. Most Americans reported a sense of security after the 9/11 attacks. But a sense of insecurity among a minority of Americans coupled with a perceived threat of future terrorism increased support for both domestic and international security policy—the curtailment of domestic civil liberties, tougher visa checks, and support for the war in Afghanistan. The authors' findings underscore the diverse ways in which individuals react politically to a common external threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of attachment theory on the third-party visitation and custody for judicial decisions in matters of divorce in the U.S., in reponse to the decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in Troxel vs. Granville. According to Justice Steven, opinion in Troxel has recognized that parental rights must be in the best interests of the child. Moreover, the U.S. has mandated protection and prevention of children in which their best interests are the primary consideration.