ATTACHMENT STYLES AND REACTIONS TO NONVERBAL INVOLVEMENT CHANGE IN ROMANTIC DYADS - PATTERNS OF RECIPROCITY AND COMPENSATION

Attachment-theory principles suggest that those with different attachm ent styles will react to nonverbal involvement change in a manner cons istent with their approach/avoidance orientations and mental working m odels of self and others. It was hypothesized that preoccupieds initia lly reciprocate increases in involvement, but compensate for decreases , whereas dismissives initially compensate for increases in involvemen t, but reciprocate decreases. A second hypothesis predicted that over time interactants reciprocate both increases and decreases in nonverba l involvement. Partners in enduring romantic relationships participate d in two separate conversations. Between conversations, one member of each dyad was enlisted as a confederate who increased or decreased non verbal immediacy and positive affect in the second conversation. Resul ts indicated that, regardless of attachment style, targets reciprocate d confederate behavior in the increase-involvement condition and displ ayed behavior indicative of both compensation and reciprocity in the d ecrease-involvement condition. However, preoccupieds showed the strong est pattern of reciprocating increases in involvement and compensating for decreases in involvement. Results also demonstrated a pull toward reciprocity over time. Findings are interpreted in light of the bidim ensional model of distancing and interaction adaptation theory with re sults most supportive of the latter theory.