Interparental conflict and relational attitudes within romantic relationships: The mediating role of attachment orientations

Abstract

Early experiences and childhood perceptions of interparental conflict (IPC) have consistently been shown to have detrimental consequences for future psychological adjustment, in particular for attachment and couple relationships during adolescence and adulthood. We hypothesized that 1. IPC would predict anxious and avoidant attachment styles, and three relational attitudes associated with couple relationships: sense of relational entitlement, pathological concern, and authenticity; and 2. Attachment style would mediate the associations between IPC and these three relational attitudes. Measures of perceived IPC, attachment orientations, relational entitlement, pathological concern, and authenticity in romantic relationships were completed online by 280 young adults aged 19–32. IPC was positively correlated with anxious and avoidant attachment styles, restricted and inflated sense of entitlement, and pathological concern and negatively with authenticity. A structural equations model showed that IPC predicted avoidant and anxious attachment styles, which positively predicted an inflated and restricted sense of relational entitlement and pathological concern and negatively predicted authenticity. Attachment styles fully mediated the relationships between IPC and the relational attitudes. IPC therefore seems to be related to imbalanced attitudes in romantic relationships, due in part to a propensity toward insecure attachment orientations. Children with insecure attachment who are exposed to significant levels of IPC may be at high risk for relationship problems later in life because of difficulties exposing their vulnerability, assessing need fulfillment realistically, and caring for themselves as well as others. They should therefore be helped to communicate their relational needs to significant others, in particular to their partners.

Sense of Relationship Entitlement of Aging Parents Toward Their Offspring (SRE-ao)—A New Concept and Measurement Tool

“…Relationships between elderly parents and their adult children are important and worthy of research attention, and the SREac stands to expand our understanding of factors that influence this relationship. In addition, previous studies have indicated that sense of relational entitlement in younger populations is strongly connected to personality variables such as selfesteem, attachment orientations, and wellbeing (Tolmacz and Mikulincer, 2011;Tolmacz et al, 2022). Future studies should examine whether or not this holds true for older populations as well.…”

Aging second-generation Holocaust survivors and well-being: The mediating role of relational attitudes

“…Imbalanced relational strategies might have negative implications for the possibility of a smooth role change in the family. For example, a recent study (Tolmacz et al, 2022) indicated that an imbalanced sense of entitlement among older adults toward their adult offspring was associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, somatization, and sense of loneliness and negatively with a sense of belongingness. Given their imbalanced relational strategies, SGHSs may confront unique challenges during the aging period, that may result in heightened levels of distress.…”

“…Recent research has indicated that among aging individuals, both an inflated and a restricted sense of relational entitlement toward their offspring were positively associated with anxiety, depression, somatization, and sense of loneliness, and negatively associated with sense of belonging (Tolmacz et al, 2022b). In addition, Tolmacz et al (2023) found that both restricted and inflated senses of relational entitlement were also associated with higher parentification. High levels of both inflated and restricted entitlement are theorized to indicate a lack of a consistent pattern and a tendency to fluctuate between two forms of imbalanced SRE, in the same way as high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance are indicative of disorganized attachment.…”

“…Third, it might result in an imbalanced sense of relational entitlement (SRE) (Tolmacz & Mikulincer, 2011) – that is, ignoring genuine relational needs (restricted sense), or having unrealistic expectations that a significant other should fulfill these needs (inflated sense). Past studies have shown that these relational attitudes – pathological concern, lack of authenticity, and an imbalanced sense of relational entitlement – are detrimental to relationship quality and well-being (Tolmacz et al, 2022a; 2022c). These problematic relational attitudes and their potential role in mediating the link between parentification and low levels of well-being among aging SGHSs are explored in greater depth below.…”

Parenting and Family Relationships Factors in the Intergenerational Transmission of Partnerships: a Research Review

“…Tolmacz et al [7] explore the link between parental conflict and three tendencies associated with couple relationships in the generation of children and the possible influence of attachment style on this relationship. The study discusses three tendencies in partnering, with references to the work of Brenner et al (2019) [8]; Gillath et al (2010) [9]; Shavit & Tolmacz et al (2014) [10]: 1) pathological concern; 2) sense of entitlement; 3) authenticity.…”