Question

According to Phillip Shaver and his colleagues, attachment styles continue into adulthood. How might this affect adult relationships? Provide examples in your response.

Critical thinking question must be at least 200 words. Please no spelling or grammatical errors.

Answer 1

Philip shaver, a renowned social psychologist built on the Attachment theories of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth to build his own theory of attachment during adulthood. He explains this as strong attachment, weak attachment and balanced attachment.

He explains that when the attachment is too weak individuals develop a kind of inadequacy and thus do not have proper intimacy. This reflects in their relationship and prevents them from functioning as normal people.

When the attachment is too strong, he says there is independency and people lack the co-dependency to act and make decisions together thus becoming a burden to each other. These people behave as if they are living alone although they live with a partner thus never waiting for the partner to give their opinion before deciding on something.

The ideal attachment according to Shaver is to strike a perfect balance between the two, strong and weak thus not too dependent and not to inadequate. People as adults should understand the needs of others at the same time expressing their needs and desires to the one who lives with them thus creating a synergy and understanding in order to optimize their partnership and excel in their personal and professional lives.