Repsond to 2 classmates post with at least 3 paragraphs NO PLAGIARISM

Repsond to 2 classmates post with at least 3 paragraphs NO PLAGIARISM…APA Style…CITE ALL REFERENCES…Respond as if you are talking to the student

POST 1:

The first people to conceptualize romantic love as an attachment process were Cynthia Hazan and Phillip Shaver, with the attachment theory currently being the dominant paradigm concerning its effect on close relationships. (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978; Bowlby, 1988; Hazan & Shaver, 1987).

The single defining quality of a romantic relationship is the presence of love, which is difficult to define. Hazan and Shaver define love as comprising proximity, emotional support, self-exploration, and separation distress when parted from the loved one. (Hazan C & Shaver, 19870)

When I analyze the attachment theory as it applies to understanding the process of romantic love, I find that a person’s love is manifested as a function of their attachment style and personality. John Bowlby, theorized that attachment was an emotional bond that impacts a person’s behavior ‘from the cradle to the grave’. How a person bonds with their caregivers during early childhood will affects how they will behave in their relationships. Their extent to be in touch with their emotions, will determine how much they allow themselves to love others on a conscious level, shape their interactions with people, and predict how they will interact with romantic partners.

When I evaluate the strengths of the attachment theory as a theoretical framework for understanding human relationships, I find this theory explains relationship behavior from parent-child relationships to adult romantic relationships. With its basic idea being that semi-permanent attachment styles developed during a person’s interactions in their early childhood relationships become the mental models that shape their expectations about relationships, and influence how they will react to relationships throughout their lifetime.

When I evaluate the weaknesses of the attachment theory as a theoretical framework for understanding human relationships, I find this theory only generally characterizes relationship events but does not tell rather or not these attachment styles are permanent or prone to change with time.

There are many other active areas of research on interpersonal relationships. Currently, research on interpersonal relationships have expanded to include the process of mate selection and relationship satisfaction.

I can apply this information to a personal setting because it helps me to understand love in terms of feelings of attachment. Additionally, as a theoretical framework, the theory forms a unified ‘framework for understanding love, loneliness, and grief at different points in the life cycle’ (Hazan & Shaver, 1987: 511). As well as providing a unified account of what distinguishes healthy from unhealthy forms of love. I can analyze myself in a relationship to determine if I am in a healthy or unhealthy relationship.

Ammon Eaves

References

Ainsworth, M. D., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. N. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(8), 511–524.

Feeney, J. A., & Noller, P. (1990). Attachment style as a predictor of adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(2), 281–291.

POST 2:

Attachment theory is a fascinating theory which divides people into different attachment styles in all sorts of relationships ranging from infant-parent relationships to romantic love relationships. According to Kassin (2017), Hazan and Shaver were the initial researchers that applied attachment theory to romantic love. It initially began as infant-parent styles. It seems that attachment style would fit very well into the romantic love process. If one is more secure, able to trust others, and sees others as generally good people then it would follow that they would be secure in romantic relationships as well. It follows then, that one with general avoidance or anxiety in attachments would be no different in the realm of romantic love.

Gleeson and Fitzgerald (2014) performed studies on this matter and found that those with secure attachment styles were more likely to be in a romantic relationship as well as more satisfied in their romantic relationships than those with avoidant or anxious attachment styles.

Attachment theory can be helpful in professional settings as well. While it can be useful in businesses to create positive relationships with employees,employers, and clients, it is particularly useful in the field of Mental Health in order to be able to create secure attachments with the Therapist or Counselor and to deliver services effectively (Bucci, et. al., 2014).

Jeremy Bresler

References

Kassin, S. (2017). Social Psychology, 10th Edition. [Vitalsource]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/97813058…

Gleeson, G., & Fitzgerald, A. (2014). Exploring the association between adult attachment styles in romantic relationships, perceptions of parents from childhood and relationship satisfaction. Health, 6(13), 1643

Bucci, S., Roberts, N. H., Danquah, A. N., & Berry, K. (2015). Using attachment theory to inform the design and delivery of mental health services: A systematic review of the literature. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 88(1), 1-20.