Anxious Attachment, Silencing the Self, and Relationship Satisfaction
Published 2012 · Torrie L. Caufield, A. M. Evanko
0
Citations
0
Influential Citations
Abstract
Discussion/Limitations/Future Directions • From these results we can conclude that higher levels of anxious attachment lead to increased silencing of the self, ultimately producing lower levels of relationship satisfaction. • Some clinical implications of this study include: assisting marriage and family counselors in understanding how they can help their clients improve their relationships by decreasing high levels of silencing of the self. • Although this study produced significant results, our population is limited because we only used college-age participants. Had we incorporated married couples into our study, we might have produced greater links between the constructs. • Some limitations of our study include that all measures were self-report. Additionally, because of the restricted demographic characteristics of the sample, the results cannot be generalized to a wider population. • Another limitation of our study is this is a crosssectional study. As opposed to a longitudinal study which measures participants over time, this study was conducted at one time in our participant’s lives. Introduction Defining Anxious Attachment • Anxiously attached individuals are constantly troubled and concerned about the reliability and accountability of their romantic partner (Joel, Macdonald, & Shimotomai, 2011). Defining Silencing of the Self • In order to maintain a relationship without arguments, individuals have been found to stop expressing and forgetting their feelings of dissatisfaction (Whiffen, Foot, & Thompson, 2007). Associations between Anxious Attachment, Silencing of the Self, and Relationship Satisfaction • Several studies have indicated anxious attachment is responsible for low felt security, which occurs when these individuals are insecure about losing acceptance from their partner(Joel, Macdonald, & Shimotomai 2011; Shaver, Schachner, & Mikulincer, 2005; Tucker & Anders, 1999). • In fact, as a product of their high anxiety levels, anxiously attached individuals are more prone to emotional highs and lows, which can predict greater conflict severity and relationship dissatisfaction (Campbell, Simpson, Boldry, & Kashy, 2005). • Individuals can strive to create stability in their relationship resulting in silencing of the self, which actually produces negative effects on relationship satisfaction (Jack & Dill, 1992). • Women strive to feel stable in their relationships, and have been found to suppress any feelings that may negatively affect their relationship (Jack & Dill, 1992). • One explanation as to why men may silence themselves is that they may not know how to communicate their emotions in a relationship (Gratch & Bassett, 1992; Doyle, 1983; Goldberg, 1976; O’Neil, 1982; Rabinowitz & Cochran, 1994). • Research shows that anxious attachment and silencing of the self are strongly related (Dixon, Goodnight, Ridings, & Gordon, 2011). Current Study • Based on previous research, we hypothesized that Silencing of the Self mediates the relationship between Anxious Attachment and Relationship Satisfaction. • More specifically, we predicted that higher levels of Anxious Attachment lead to increased Silencing of the Self, resulting in lower Relationship Satisfaction.