ADULT ATTACHMENT AND EMOTIONAL CONTROL

The connection between attachment style and affect regulation, propose d by attachment theorists, was explored in the context of long-term da ting relationships. Seventy-two couples completed questionnaire measur es of attachment (using a four-group forced-choice item, together with scales tapping Comfort with closeness, and Anxiety over relationships ) and emotional control (in which subjects rated own and partner's con trol of anger, sadness, and anxiety, and the extent to which partners wanted them to control these emotions). Couples in which both partners endorsed insecure attachment styles (using the forced-choice measure) reported greater emotional control than did couples with two secure p artners. Data from the attachment scales also supported the link betwe en insecure attachment and emotional control: Comfort with closeness w as negatively related both to one's own emotional control and to perce ptions that partners wanted subjects to control their sadness; Anxiety over relationships was associated with perceptions that partners cont rolled sadness and wanted subjects to control their anger and sadness. The link between insecure attachment and the control of negative emot ion remained significant when the frequency of experiencing such emoti on was controlled. The association between attachment dimensions and o ther responses to negative emotions was also explored, and was consist ent with attachment theory.