Assignment: Adult Attachment—Take A Moment To Reflect

Assignment Adult Attachmenttake A Moment To Reflect On Your Friendshi

Reflect on your friendships, focusing on your oldest and closest friends, and consider how these relationships reflect your attachment patterns. Complete Fraley's Adult Attachment Survey to determine your personal attachment style, identify your score and attachment category, and evaluate its accuracy. Discuss how your attachment style has influenced your development as an adult, supported by scholarly resources and current literature.

Paper For Above instruction

Friendships serve as vital components of an individual's social and emotional development, often reflecting underlying attachment patterns formed during early childhood. Reflecting on my own friendships, I recognize the influence of attachment theory on my current relational dynamics. My oldest friend and my closest confidant are the same person, signifying a consistent pattern of trust and emotional closeness that aligns with secure attachment, yet my experiences also reveal nuances tied to other attachment styles. Using Fraley’s Adult Attachment Survey, I identified my attachment style as predominantly secure, with some tendencies toward anxious attachment, indicative of a desire for closeness paired with occasional insecurities.

The overall score I received on the survey fell within the secure attachment category, which suggests a healthy pattern of trust and intimacy in my relationships. I believe this assessment is accurate; my consistent ability to maintain long-term friendships and to engage in open, supportive communication supports a view of secure attachment. However, I acknowledge that certain circumstances, such as stressful life events or significant changes in relationships, occasionally trigger anxieties typical of insecure attachments, especially in romantic contexts.

My attachment style has significantly shaped my development as an adult, particularly in forming and maintaining peer and romantic relationships. A secure attachment fosters confidence in relationships, enabling me to seek support and to be receptive to others' needs. This pattern has facilitated my ability to develop meaningful connections, handle conflicts constructively, and maintain emotional regulation during stressful times. Conversely, tendencies toward anxious attachment have occasionally led to worries about abandonment, impacting my romantic decision-making and perceptions of intimacy.

According to Ainsworth's attachment theory, early interactions with caregivers lay the foundation for adult attachment behaviors (Ainsworth, 1989). A securely attached child, who experiences consistent support, tends to grow into an adult capable of trusting others and seeking support when needed (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). In my case, positive early relationships fostered the development of secure attachment, as evidenced by my current relationships and self-reported confidence in social settings. Nonetheless, the presence of some insecure tendencies reveals complexities in my developmental history, reflecting the influence of specific life events or caregiving nuances.

Attachment styles also influence identity development during emerging adulthood. Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory highlights that establishing intimacy is crucial during this period (Erikson, 1968). My secure attachment has supported a robust sense of self and confidence to explore different roles and relationships, essential for identity formation. The secure base provided by my early attachment relationships allowed me to pursue independence, career aspirations, and personal growth, aligning with findings from Benson, Johnson, and Elder (2012) that secure attachments are linked to higher educational and occupational attainment.

Furthermore, recent literature emphasizes contextual factors affecting attachment and development. For instance, Brandell (2010) highlights that contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives recognize the flexibility in attachment behaviors influenced by life experiences. My own narrative aligns with this view, where initial secure attachment provides resilience, yet specific adversities can activate insecure patterns, emphasizing the importance of awareness and intentional relational work.

Overall, my experience underscores the significance of attachment styles in shaping adult development. While my secure attachment has fostered healthy relational patterns and self-awareness, the occasional insecure tendencies underscore the ongoing importance of self-reflection and relational mindfulness. Understanding my attachment pattern provides valuable insights into my interpersonal behaviors and guides my continued personal growth.

References

• Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1989). Attachments beyond infancy. American Psychologist, 44(4), 709–716.
• Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Brandell, J. R. (2010). Contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives on attachment. Psychoanalytic Social Work, 17(2), 132–157.
• Benson, J. E., Johnson, M. K., & Elder, G. H., Jr. (2012). The implications of adult identity for educational and work attainment in young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 48(6), 1752–1758.
• Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. Norton & Company.
• Fraley, R. C. (n.d.). Attachment style. Media Laureate Education. Retrieved from [URL if available]
• McAdams, D. P., Bauer, J. J., Sakaeda, A. R., et al. (2006). Continuity and change in the life story: A longitudinal study of autobiographical memories in emerging adulthood. Journal of Personality, 74(5), 1371–1400.
• Robinson, O. C., & Smith, J. A. (2010). The stormy search for self in early adulthood: Developmental crisis and the dissolution of dysfunctional personae. The Humanistic Psychologist, 38(2), 120–145.
• Specht, J., Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S. C. (2011). Stability and change of personality across the life course: The impact of age and major life events on mean-level and rank-order stability of the Big Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 862–882.
• Laureate Education. (2013). Young adulthood [Video]. Media Laureate.