Attachment in couple relationships

Attachment processes shape how individuals think, feel, and behave in close relationships, including adult romantic relationships. This chapter provides a brief overview of attachment theory as a framework for understanding whether people experience responsive, supportive relationships versus unsatisfying, conflictual couple relationships. Focusing on recent and methodologically strong research that adopts a dyadic approach, we review findings demonstrating how romantic attachment impacts individuals’ own as well as their partner’s affect regulation and relationship processes (e.g., communication strategies, conflict negotiation, support seeking and provision), and consider how partners and individuals can buffer the adverse relationship effects of attachment insecurity. In addition, we outline emerging areas of research on attachment and couple relationships, including the examination of contextual factors (e.g., major life transitions, external stress, and partner characteristics), nonlinear effects and variability, spillover between couple and family processes, and sociocultural contexts (e.g., country, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, family structure).