1. Attachment in Adulthood Simpson, J. S., & Rholes, W. S. (1998). Attachment in adulthood. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 3-21). New York: Guilford Press.

2. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Two Traditions

3. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Two Traditions (cont.)  Attachment in Nuclear Families  Measurement relies primarily on attachment interviews to assess adults’ memories of childhood experiences with their parents.  Primary interview protocol: Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) developed by George, Kaplan, & Main.  Most often used to investigate influence of adult attachment style on attachment style of child, parenting style, or other aspects of the parent-child relationship.  Attachment to Contemporary Peers and/or Romantic Partners  Assumption: “romantic love is fundamentally an attachment process through which affectional bonds are formed” (Simpson & Rholes, 1998, p. 6).  Measurement relies primarily on self-report instruments to assess perception of current relationship experiences with peers or romantic partners.

4. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Two Traditions (cont.)  Research suggests that there is limited correspondence between AAI and measures of adult romantic attachment.  Simpson & Rholes suggest that lack of correspondence should not be surprising because they measure different dimensions of attachment: “the two traditions should provide unique information about an individual’s attachment history in different kinds of relationships experienced at different points in time” (1998, p. 6; emphasis added).  Important distinction to amplify: the AAI measures perception of relationship with parents to predict caregiving while measures or peer/romantic attachment assess contemporary relationships with other adults.  Methodological issue: different forms of measurement (e.g., self-report versus observational) do not often correspond because they seem to measure different perceptions (e.g., insider versus outsider views).

5. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Advances in Adults Attachment  The Nuclear Family Tradition  The Peer/Romantic Partner Tradition  Identification of two forms of avoidant attachment in adult romantic relationships was a divergence from the other tradition: è Secure: positive view of self and others. è Preoccupied: negative self views and positive (yet apprehensive) views of others. è Fearful-avoidant: negative views of self and others. è Dismissing-avoidant: positive self views but negative views of others.  Conceptualization of attachment as a continuous rather than a categorical variable.