Attachment and emotion regulation: Attachment and conscious attitudes toward four discrete emotions

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between ad ult attachment as an individual's interpersonal style and that person's emo tion regulation. In Study 1, a questionnaire measure of conscious attitudes toward 4 discrete emotions (anger, sadness, fear, and joy) was developed t o measure individual differences in emotion regulation. Factor analysis of this scale yielded 4 factors: reflection on emotions, awareness of one's ow n emotions. awareness of other's emotions, and negative feelings about emot ions. In Study2, 208 university students completed a scale of adult attachm ent and the scale of conscious attitudes toward 4 discrete emotions. The re sults indicated that secure attachment was related to open attitudes, espec ially about sadness and joy, and to higher reflection on and higher awarene ss of these emotions. In contrast. avoidance attachment was related to high er negative feelings about sadness and joy. ambivalent attachment related t o biased attitudes, particularly toward anger and joy, and to lower reflect ion on and lower awareness of these emotions. These findings suggest that e ach attachment style is characterized by different attitudes toward specifi c emotions at a conscious level.