Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Delaney, Katherine Mary

Titel

The relationship between attachment in parental and romantic relationships and maturity of defense style

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

2001

Link zum Volltext

• ProQuest

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• How people learn to favor the use of a particular pattern of defense over another is a topic that is still debated. According to George Vaillant (1971) and his developmental perspective, defenses can be seen as differing in their level of maturity, with mature defenses being the most adaptive and the least disruptive of normal functioning. Previous research and theory have suggested a link between early parent-child relationships and the development of defenses. This study investigated the relationship between current attachment to parent/s, attachment in romantic relationships, and maturity of defense style in a sample of 74 community college students in the Fresno area. Respondents were administered a brief demographic questionnaire, the 40-item Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), the Parent Attachment subscale of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), and the Adult Attachment Scale Revised (AAS). Several significant findings emerged. Results showed that two variables, comfort with closeness in romantic relationships, and a lack of alienation in relationship with at least one parent, significantly predicted variance in defense maturity. The subscales of parental attachment and romantic relationship attachment were moderately intercorrelated. In addition, overall quality of parental attachment was positively correlated with defense maturity. When romantic relationship attachment scores were clustered into three groups, the secure group was found to have a better overall quality of parental attachment and to utilize more mature defenses than both the anxious and avoidant groups. Certain demographic variables also had an impact on the results. Females were more likely to report fearing rejection and feeling unloved in romantic relationships and to be categorized as anxiously attached in romantic relationships than males. Males were more likely to be classified as avoidantly attached in romantic relationships than females. Caucasian respondents were more likely to utilize a mature defensive style than Hispanics. Finally, there was a modest positive correlation between level of family income reported and extent of verbal communication. Limitations of the present study, clinical implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.