Family and Work: Implications of Adult Attachment Styles
This study examined the role of adult attachment style in meeting the challenges of both work and family roles for parents of young children. Theory suggests that secure attachment provides a basis for successful negotiation of issues of intimacy and exploration—for adults, family, and work. Using a large sample of adults in committed relationships, studied longitudinally, we assessed satisfaction with work, satisfaction with family, stress, and role overload. Results indicated that most parents, particularly those with secure attachment styles, are able to function in multiple domains successfully. However, women and men with fearful attachment styles, characterized by views that the self is unlovable and others are untrustworthy, have marked difficulty in many family domains and some work domains. Functioning of parents with dismissing and preoccupied attachment styles fell between that of secure and fearful.