Attachment change processes in the early years of marriage

The authors examined 4 models of attachment change: a contextual model, a s ocial-cognitive model, an individual-difference model, and a diathesis-stre ss model. Models were examined in a sample of newlyweds over the first 2 ye ars of marriage, using growth curve analyses. Reciprocal processes, whereby attachment representations and interpersonal life circumstances affect one another over time, also were studied. On average, newlyweds became more se cure over time. However, there was significant within-subject variability o n attachment change that was predicted by intra- and interpersonal factors. Attackment representations changed in response to contextual, social-cogni tive, and individual-difference factors. Reciprocal processes between attac hment representations and marital variables emerged, suggesting that these factors influence one another in an ongoing way.