No More Faceplants Science

Work and Attachment Strategy

Anxious adults experienced exaggerated achievement-related threats. Avoidant adults showed a weaker need for achievement and lower endorsement of mastery goals and were prone to giving-up.

  • Elliot, A. J., and Reis, H. T. “Attachment and Exploration in Adulthood.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 85, 2003: 317-331.

Anxious adults were more curious than Avoidant adults but similar to Secure ones, while experiencing less excitement in exploration activities. Avoidant adults showed lower novelty-seeking, curiosity and interest in exploration, and showed more negative attitudes towards curiosity.

  • Aspelmeier, J. E., and Kerns, K. A. “Love and School: Attachment/Exploration Dynamics in College.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 20, 2003: 5-30.
  • Carnelley, K. B., and Ruscher, J. B. “Adult Attachment and Exploratory Behavior in Leisure.” Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 15, 2000: 153-165.
  • Green, J. D., and Campbell, W. “Attachment and Exploration in Adults: Chronic and Contextual Accessibility.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26, 2000: 452-461.
  • Mikulincer, M. “Adult Attachment Style and Information Processing: Individual Differences in Curiosity and Cognitive Closure.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 72, 1997: 1217-1230.
  • Johnston, M. A. “Influences of Adult Attachment in Exploration.” Psychological Reports 84, 1999: 31-34.
  • Reich, W. A., and Siegel, H. I. “Attachment, Ego-Identity Development, and Exploratory Interest in University Students.” Asian Journal of Social Psychology 5, 2002: 125-134.

Secure adults experienced a higher level of job satisfaction than did Insecure adults.

    Anxious adults:
  1. were more affected at work by family-related distress than Avoidant or Secure adults,
  2. focused on social acceptance and pleasing, which often interfered with a more objective focus on task-completion or conflict resolution, and
  3. had lower than average salaries even when the results were controlled for gender and education.
    Avoidant adults:
  1. had more conflict with co-workers,
  2. had lower spillover from family problems to work,
  3. focused on work to keep from social involvements, and
  4. had less ability to balance work, social life and recreation.
  • Hazan, C., and Shaver, P. R. “Love and Work: An Attachment-Theoretical Perspective.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 59, 1990: 270-280.
  • Krausz, M., Bizman, A., and Braslavsky, D. “Effects of Attachment Style on Preferences For and Satisfaction With Different Employment Contracts: An Exploratory Study.” Journal of Business and Psychology 16, 2001: 299-316.
  • Raskin, P. M., Kummel, P., and Bannister, T. “The Relationship Between Coping Styles, Attachment, and Career Salience in Partnered Working Women with Children.” Journal of Career Assessment 6, 1998: 403-416.
  • Sumer, H., and Knight, P. A. “How Do People with Different Attachment Styles Balance Work and Family? A Personality Perspective on Work-Family Linkage.” Schirmer, L. L., and Lopez, F. G. “Probing the Social Support and Work-Strain Relationship Among Adult Workers: Contributions of Adult Attachment Orientations.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 59, 2001: 17-33. 86, 2001: 653-663.
  • Vasquez, K., Durik, A. M., and Hyde, J. S. “Family and Work: Implications of Adult Attachment Styles.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 28, 2002: 874-886.
  • Zedeck, S. “Introduction: Exploring the Domain of Work and Family Concerns.” In S. Zedeck, ed., Work, Families, and Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992: 1-32.

Secure adults showed better organization and more constructive strategies than adults with Insecure strategies. Anxious adults showed less planning, less rehearsal, and poorer organization. They were less likely to rely on constructive strategies; theirs were typically more impulsive. They showed more procrastination and more stagnant thinking. Avoidant adults showed less planning and poorer organization. They were less likely to rely on constructive strategies; theirs were more impulsive and there also was more procrastination.

  • Hazan, C., and Shaver, P. R. “Love and Work: An Attachment-Theoretical Perspective.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 59, 1990: 270-280.
  • Raskin, P. M., Kummel, P., and Bannister, T. “The Relationship Between Coping Styles, Attachment, and Career Salience in Partnered Working Women with Children.” Journal of Career Assessment 6, 1998: 403-416.
  • Sumer, H., and Knight, P. A. “How Do People with Different Attachment Styles Balance Work and Family? A Personality Perspective on Work-Family Linkage.” Journal of Applied Psychology 86, 2001: 653-663.
  • Adults who attach with Insecure attachment strategies have distorted needs for achievement.

  • Elliot, A. J., and Reis, H. T. “Attachment and Exploration in Adulthood.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 85, 2003: 317-331.

Adults with Insecure attachment strategies have lower levels of job satisfaction than adults with Secure attachment strategies.

  • Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. “Love and Work: An Attachment-Theoretical Perspective.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 59, 1990: 270-280.
  • Krausz, M., Bizman, A., and Braslavsky, D. “Effects of Attachment Style on Preferences For and Satisfaction With Different Employment Contracts: An Exploratory Study.” Journal of Business and Psychology 16, 2001: 299-316.
  • Pines, A. M. “Adult Attachment Styles and their Relationship to Burnout: A Preliminary Cross-Cultural Investigation.” Work and Stress 18, 2004: 66-80.
  • Raskin, P. M., Kummel, P., and Bannister, T. “The Relationship Between Coping Styles, Attachment, and Career Salience in Partnered Working Women with Children.” Journal of Career Assessment, 6, 1998: 403-416.
  • Sumer, H., and Knight, P. A. “How Do People with Different Attachment Styles Balance Work and Family? A Personality Perspective on Work-Family Linkage.” Journal of Applied Psychology 86, 2001: 653-663.
  • Vasquez, K., Durik, A. M., and Hyde, J. S. “Family and Work: Implications of Adult Attachment Styles.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 28, 2002: 874-886.