Affective dimensions of attachment styles: Exploring self-reported attachment style, gender, and emotional experience among college students

This study explored the relationships among self-reported attachment styles , gender, and several aspects of subjective emotional experience pertinent to the counseling situation: (a) attention to emotion, (b) intensity of emo tion, and (c) emotional expressivity. Four self-report measures, including an adult attachment style questionnaire and 3 measures of emotion, were giv en to 140 undergraduates. Results show that attachment groups could be dist inguished on the basis of their emotional experience along 2 dimensions: (a ) expressivity and (b) "intentness," a combination of attention and intensi ty. Men and women could be distinguished on a combination of all 3 dependen t measures. Gender differences were less prominent, however, when men and w omen within the same attachment style were compared. Implications for couns eling are discussed.