Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:42:07.327Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Attachment and Commitment in Dyadic Friendships: Mediating Roles of Satisfaction, Quality of Alternatives, and Investment Size

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2013

Chong Man Chow  and
Cin Cin Tan
Chong Man Chow*
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
Cin Cin Tan
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Chong Man Chow, Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd., CF 8, Oshkosh WI, 54901, USA. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This study integrated the investment model and attachment theory to examine: (1) whether the link between friendship attachment and commitment would be mediated by relationship features of satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investment size; and (2) whether these mediation processes would function at the intrapersonal (actor) and interpersonal (partner) levels. The sample included 120 pairs of same-sex friends (78 pairs of women). Data were analysed with the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM). Mediated actor effects suggest that individuals high in attachment avoidance are less satisfied with and invest less in their current friendship; these in turn, lead them to show less commitment. Furthermore, individuals high in attachment anxiety invest more in their current friendship, which in turn leads to higher commitment. Mediated partner effects suggest that individuals high in attachment avoidance have a friend who feels less satisfied with, invests less, and shows low commitment in their current friendship. The current study demonstrated that a dyadic design is useful in illustrating the dynamics of commitment between close friends.

Keywords

friendshipcommitmentactor-partner-interdependence modeldyadicyoung adultattachment
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 4 , 25 October 2013 , e4
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Avivi, Y.E., Laurenceau, J., & Carver, C.S. (2009). Linking relationship quality to perceived mutuality of relationship goals and perceived goal progress. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28 (2), 137–164.Google Scholar
Bagwell, C.L., Bender, S.E., Andreassi, C.L., Kinoshita, T.L., Montarello, S.A., & Muller, J.G. (2005). Friendship quality and perceived relationship changes predict psychosocial adjustment in early adulthood. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 22 (2), 235–354.Google Scholar
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss. Vol. 1. Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Branje, S.T., Frijns, T., Finkenauer, C., Engels, R., & Meeus, W. (2007). You are my best friend: Commitment and stability in adolescents’ same-sex friendships. Personal Relationships, 14 (4), 587–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brennan, K.A., Clark, C.L., & Shaver, P.R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview. In Simpson, J.A. & Rholes, W.S. (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46–76). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Burge, D., Hammen, C., Davila, J., & Daley, S. (1997). The relationship between attachment cognitions and psychological adjustment in late adolescent women. Development and Psychopathology, 9, 151–167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carbery, J., & Buhrmester, D. (1998). Friendship and need fulfillment during three phases of young adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15 (3), 393–409.Google Scholar
Chow, C.M., & Buhrmester, D. (2008). Attachment styles with parents and friends predicting adolescents’ loneliness, depression, and self-esteem from 6th to 12th grades. Unpublished manuscript, The University of Texas at Dallas.Google Scholar
Chow, C., & Buhrmester, D. (2011). Interdependent patterns of coping and support among close friends. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 28, 684–706.Google Scholar
Chow, C., Roelse, H.B., Buhrmester, D., & Underwood, M.K. (2011). Transformations in Friend Relationships across the Transition into Adulthood. Laursen, In B. & Collins, W. A. (Eds.), Relationship pathways: From adolescence to young adulthood (pp. 91—113). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
De Goede, I.A., Branje, S., van Duin, J., VanderValk, I.E., & Meeus, W. (2012). Romantic relationship commitment and its linkages with commitment to parents and friends during adolescence. Social Development, 21 (3), 425–442.Google Scholar
Doherty, N.A., & Feeney, J.A. (2004). The composition of attachment networks throughout the adult years. Personal Relationships, 11 (4), 469–488. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00093.xGoogle Scholar
Fraley, R., Heffernan, M.E., Vicary, A.M., & Brumbaugh, C. (2011). The experiences in close relationships — Relationship Structures Questionnaire: A method for assessing attachment orientations across relationships. Psychological Assessment, 23 (3), 615–625. doi:10.1037/a0022898Google Scholar
Fraley, R., & Shaver, P. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4, 132–154.Google Scholar
Furman, W., Simon, V., Shaffer, L., & Bouchey, H. (2002). Adolescents’ working models and styles for relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners. Child Development, 73, 241–255.Google Scholar
Furman, W., & Wehner, E.A. (1994). Romantic views: Toward a theory of adolescent romantic relationships. In Montemayor, R., Adams, G.R., & Gullotta, T.P. (Eds.), Personal relationships during adolescence (pp. 168–195). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J.T., & Rapson, R.L. (1993). Emotional contagion. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2 (3), 96–99.Google Scholar
Jin, B., & Peña, J.F. (2010). Mobile communication in romantic relationships: Mobile phone use, relational uncertainty, love, commitment, and attachment styles. Communication Reports, 23, 39–51.Google Scholar
Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Shimotomai, A. (2011). Conflicting pressures on romantic relationship commitment for anxiously attached individuals. Journal of Personality, 79 (1), 51–74.Google Scholar
Jones, M.C., & Furman, W. (2011). Representations of romantic relationships, romantic experience, and sexual behavior in adolescence. Personal Relationships, 18 (1), 144–164.Google Scholar
Kelley, H.H., & Thibaut, J. (1978). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Kenny, D.A., Kashy, D.A., & Cook, W.L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Ledermann, T., Macho, S., & Kenny, D.A. (2011). Assessing mediation in dyadic data using the actor-partner interdependence model. Structural Equation Modeling, 18 (4), 595–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, Y.W., & Rusbult, C.E. (1995). Commitment to dating relationships and cross-sex friendships in America and China. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12 (1), 7–26.Google Scholar
MacKinnon, D.P., Krull, J.L., & Lockwood, C.M. (2000). Equivalence of the mediation, confounding and suppression effect. Prevention Science, 1 (4), 173–181.Google Scholar
Markiewicz, D., Lawford, H., Doyle, A.B., & Haggart, N., (2006). Developmental differences in adolescents’ and young adults’ use of mothers, fathers, best friends, and romantic partners to fulfill attachment needs. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 127–140.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Erev, I. (1991). Attachment style and the structure of romantic love. British Journal of Social Psychology, 30 (4), 273–291.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R., Bar-On, N., & Ein-Dor, T. (2010). The pushes and pulls of close relationships: Attachment insecurities and relational ambivalence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98 (3), 450–468.Google Scholar
Muthén, L.K., & Muthén, B.O. (2010). Mplus user's guide (6th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.Google Scholar
Oswald, D.L., & Clark, E.M. (2003). Best friends forever?: High school best friendships and the transition to college. Personal Relationships, 10 (2), 187–196.Google Scholar
Oswald, D.L., & Clark, E.M. (2006). How do friendship maintenance behaviors and problem-solving styles function at the individual and dyadic levels?. Personal Relationships, 13 (3), 333–348.Google Scholar
Overall, N., Fletcher, G., & Friesen, M. (2003). Mapping the intimate relationship mind: comparisons between three models of attachment representations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1479–1493.Google Scholar
Pistole, M., Clark, E.M., & Tubbs, A.L. (1995). Love relationships: Attachment style and the investment model. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 17 (2), 199–209.Google Scholar
Rusbult, C.E. (1980). Satisfaction and commitment in friendships. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 11 (2), 96–105.Google Scholar
Rusbult, C.E., Martz, J.M., & Agnew, C.R. (1998). The Investment Model Scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5 (4), 357–391.Google Scholar
Sibley, C., & Overall, N. (2008). Modeling the hierarchical structure of attachment representations: A test of domain differentiation. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 238–249.Google Scholar
Simpson, J.A. (1990). Influence of attachment styles on romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59 (5), 971–980.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trinke, S., & Bartholomew, K. (1997). Hierarchies of attachment relationships in young adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14, 603–625.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, R.B. (2010). Best friend attachment versus peer attachment in the prediction of adolescent psychological adjustment. Journal of Adolescence, 33 (5), 709–717.Google Scholar