Question

1. What are the three romantic attachment styles described by Shaver and colleagues?

2. Briefly describe one, and give an example of how it might ‘look.’

3. How are these similar to early attachment styles described by researchers such as Bowlby and Ainsworth?

Answer 1

ANSWERS:

1. The three romantic attachment styles as described by Shaver and colleagues are the:

• Secure
• Anxious
• Avoidant

2. Secure Relationship: The ideal relation in which the lovers respond to each other's care and form a strong bond. It looks like the bond which a young child has with his caregiver.

3. Initially, the Attachment Theory which included the secure relationship, the anxious relation, and the avoidant relationship, as given by researchers such as Bowlby and Ainsworth was based on the emotional bonding. This theory was expanded by Shaver and colleagues who described these relation styles based on how the lovers respond to each other in a relation developed due to motivation and behavior. Thus, the similarity between Shaver's theory and the early attachment styles as described by researchers such as Bowlby and Ainsworth was the difference in the emotional bonding of different romantic styles of the lovers.