Just somebody that you used to know? The long-term stability of attachment bonds after romantic separation

According to attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969/1982), people develop emotional bonds with close others who provide comfort and support in times of distress. But what happens to those bonds when the relationship ends? One common assumption is that once an attachment bond is established, it is maintained in an enduring way, such that former partners continue to fulfill attachment-related needs to some degree even long after the relationship has ended. In contrast, another approach assumes that attachment bonds to former partners are eventually relinquished such that there is no residual bond or tie after a period of time. The present study (N = 320) adjudicates between these fundamentally incompatible assumptions by examining the long-term continuity of attachment bonds following romantic separation. Results from non-linear regression models indicate that people report a minimal, non-zero level of desire to use former romantic partners for attachment-related needs. However, those levels are comparable to the extent to which they would use strangers for attachment-related functions, suggesting that the bond eventually (with a halfway point of 4.18 years) fades to a point of insignificance. Thus, the data more closely aligns with the theoretical idea that attachment bonds are gradually (e.g., with 4.18 years as a mid-point) relinquished after the termination of a relationship: People’s former partners simply become someone they used to know. Theoretical implications and future research directions of assessing changes in disrupted close relationship bonds are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Chong, Jia Yin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Fraley, R. Chris
• Cohen, Dov
• Hankin, Benjamin
• Ogolsky, Brian
• Derringer, Jaime

• Attachment Bonds
• Romantic Separation

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Jia Yin Chong

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117789

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F117789