ADULTS ATTACHMENT PATTERNS - COPING WITH SEPARATIONS

The present study was designed to examine the correlation between atta chment patterns of adults and reactions to separations from their sign ificant others on both a phenomenological and a representational level . Cluster analysis technique was used to classify 137 college students into four attachment pattern categories: secure, avoidant, ambivalent , and controlling (compulsive care giver). On the phenomenological lev el, the current relationships of the subjects with their parents and r omantic partner. were assessed, in order to explore how they manage th e developmental task of separation from one's parents. On the represen tational level we assessed, using a projective test (the SAT) subjects ' responses to mild and severe separations, As expected, subjects with different attachment patterns coped with separations according to the ir attachment style. For example, secure subjects coped well with this developmental task, They tended to live outside the parental home and to attribute the highest significance to their romantic partner while sustaining close communication with their mother Ambivalent subjects also tended to live outside their parental home but were all single an d reported less committed and close relationships with romantic partne rs. On a representational level they reacted with strong anxiety, reje ction, and self-blame to separations and even mild separations elicite d strong attachment reactions, Avoidant subjects fended to refrain fro m dealing with the developmental task of separation while controlling subjects were characterized by their use of mechanisms of reaction for mation. Overall the results underscore the importance of considering a ttachment patterns of adults in our attempts to understand coping with the developmental task of separation.