Primary attachment to parents and peers during adolescence: differences byattachment style

This study examines the nature of adolescent attachment to parents and peer s during adolescence. A Projective measure was used to classify 99 11th and 12th grade students into secure, insecure dismissing, and insecure preoccu pied attachment groups. Respondents identified their primary attachment fig ure by nomination and by rating the level of attachment support they receiv ed from mothers, fathers, best friends, and boy/girlfriends. On average, pa rents and peers were equally likely to be identified as primary attachment figures but individual preference was strongly tied to attachment style. Se cure adolescents significantly favored mothers over best friends, boy/girlf riends, and fathers. Although secure adolescents with romantic partners rat ed mothers lower on attachment support, none of the adolescents from this g roup nominated a boy/girlfriend as their primary attachment figure. In cont rast insecure adolescents indicated a strong preference for boy/girlfriends and best friends as their primary target for attachment and nearly a third of dismissing adolescents identified themselves as their primary attachmen t figure. Findings are discussed in terms of individual differences in atta chment during adolescence.