Empirical Indicators of the Relationship between Attachment Style and Attitude to Love in Early Maturity

Abstract

The paper focuses on the investigation of the phenomenon of love and the attachment style in early maturity, the study of which is conditioned by the increasing number of divorces, interpersonal conflicts in young couples, the lack of understanding that the attitude to love in adulthood can be associated with the attachment style formed at an early age. The actualisation of this problem is of practical value in the context of providing psychological support to young couples on the way to building harmonious interpersonal relationships. The purpose of the study was to provide a theoretical substantiation and empirical analysis of the influence of attachment style on the attitude to love. To achieve the goal and solve the tasks, a set of methods was used: theoretical – analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalisation; empirical – observations, conversations, ascertaining experiment, online testing (questionnaire “Your attitude to love” by E. Ilyin, the method “Test for reliability/unreliability of attachment” by E.Chen to identify attachment style and patterns of behaviour in relationships during a stressful situation; test “Manifestation of unreliable attachment” by E. Chen, an associative technique developed by the author regarding the attitude to the phenomenon of love “Love – is...” with subsequent content-analysis); methods of quantitative and qualitative data processing. The analysis of theoretical approaches to the study of the problems of attachment and love, which are considered by representatives of the psychoanalytic school, humanistic psychology, etc., is carried out. A pilot study using both standardised self-reports and content analysis of words-associations to the word “love”, established that the majority of respondents are characterised by romanticisation of love, a lack of understanding that love is a feeling that requires a responsible attitude towards a partner. It is stated that the attachment style that is formed in early childhood can be a factor influencing the attitude to love, to close relationships at a later age. Given this fact, psychological work to understand these phenomena should begin as early as high school, where psychological education can develop skills for interpersonal communication, responsible relationships in couples, and responsible parenthood in the future