The Role of Pessimistic Attributions in the Association Between Anxious Attachment and Relationship Satisfaction

Abstract

Attributions—the explanations spouses give to each other's behavior—have been consistently linked to relationship satisfaction, but little is known about the origins of attributional tendencies. In this study, an actor–partner interdependence model was tested to examine the relationships among pessimistic attributions, anxious attachment, and relationship satisfaction, using married couples (N = 767) from The German Family Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam; Huinink et al., 2011). For husbands and wives, higher levels of anxious attachment predicted more pessimistic attributions 2 years later. These pessimistic attributions, in turn, predicted their own later relationship satisfaction. Husbands' pessimistic attributions also predicted lower wives' relationship satisfaction. Pessimistic attributions fully mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and relationship satisfaction within spouses. It may be beneficial when intervening with couples to facilitate improvement in their attachment security and thereby promote more optimistic attributions and higher relationship satisfaction.

Forgiveness in Romantic Relationships: The Roles of Attachment, Empathy, and Attributions

“…Attributions refer to evaluative judgments that romantic partners make to explain each other's behaviors (Kimmes, Durtschi, Clifford, Knapp, & Fincham, ), especially with respect to the causes of and intentions behind those behaviors. Researchers have determined that one's cognitive and affective resources involved with attributions are directed toward information that is consistent with the working models of attachment that were formed in childhood (van Emmichoven, van Ijzendoorn, de Ruiter, & Brosschot, ).…”

The role of attachment‐related individual differences in goal adoption for serial arguments

“…Given that highly anxious individuals are more empathically accurate during relationshipthreatening situations (e.g., Simpson et al, 1999;Simpson et al, 2011), more closely monitor their partner's emotions (Rholes et al, 2007), and are more sensitive to others' changing emotions (Fraley, Niedenthal, Marks, Brumbaugh, & Vicary, 2006), we predict that individuals with higher attachment anxiety should be more accurate than individuals with lower anxiety in predicting their partner's endorsement of positively valenced goals. That said, because highly anxious individuals tend to make more negative attributions about partner transgressions (e.g., Kimmes et al, 2015) and can simultaneously hold positive and negative views of a partner (Mikulincer, Shaver, Bar-On, & Ein-Dor, 2010), we predict that they will overestimate their partner's endorsement of negatively valenced goals (e.g., expressing negative emotions, ending the relationship). Supporting this notion, individuals with negative self-views tend to overestimate rejection when they believe their partner has a relationshiprelated problem (Murray, Rose, Bellavia, Holmes, & Kusche, 2002).…”

“…Whereas secure individuals' positive views of others should predispose them to perceive their partner's behavior in a favorable manner (Sumer & Cozzarelli, 2004), insecure individuals' working models should make them more likely to make negative attributions toward their partner (Collins, Ford, Guichard, & Allard, 2006;Gallo & Smith, 2001;Kimmes, Durtschi, Clifford, Knapp, & Fincham, 2015;Pearce & Halford, 2008). Accordingly, given that highly avoidant individuals have more negative attributions related to partners' positive behavior (Collins et al, 2006), we predict that they will underestimate their partner's endorsement of positively valenced goals (i.e., reaching a resolution and expressing positive emotions).…”

The self-fulfilling prophecy of insecurity: Mediation effects of conflict communication styles on the association between adult attachment and relationship adjustment

“…they are oversensitive to threats to their relationship, highly dependent, and try excessively hard to increase closeness with a partner and thus reduce perceived distress. Attachment anxiety is associated with a more pessimistic perception of partner’s behavior (Kimmes et al, 2015), higher levels of perceived disagreement with partner (Brassard et al, 2009), and more frequent negative affect (Guerrero, 1998; Molero et al, 2017). Avoidantly attached individuals, on the other hand, tend to adopt a deactivating strategy: they supress or disregard threat stimuli, which leads to difficulties with closeness and support toward their partner, and to discomfort with intimacy and mutual dependence (Mikulincer et al, 2003; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007, 2009).…”