Understanding correlation between attachment styles and life satisfaction: Relationship status and gender

If a community values its children, it must cherish its parents

John Bowlby

Attachment styles are characterized by different ways of interacting and behaving in relationships. During early childhood, these attachment styles are centered on how children and parents interact. In adulthood, attachment styles grew out of the attachment theory and research that emerged throughout the 1600s and 1970s. There are various definitions of attachment, one of them is given by John Bowlby. The psychological theory of attachment was first described by John Bowlby. Research on Bowlby’s theory of attachment showed that infants placed in an unfamiliar situation and separated from their parents will generally react in one of three ways upon reunion with parents:

1. Secure attachment: These infants showed distress upon separation but sought comfort and were easily comforted when the parents returned.
2. Anxious-resistant attachment: A smaller portion of infants experienced greater levels of distress and upon reuniting with the parents, seemed both to seek comfort and to attempt to “punish” the parents for leaving.
3. Avoidant attachment: Infants in the third category showed no stress or minimal stress upon separation from the parents and either ignored the parents upon reuniting or actively avoided the parents.

The study was undertaken to determine the nature of attachment style with life satisfaction among adults residing in Mumbai. There were 30 respondents for committed males, committed females, single males, and single females respectively. Inferential statistics was, used to analyze the data. Pearson r was used to obtain the correlations. Value was obtained from the statistical table of Pearson r was referred and it was found to be not significant.

Other observations may include that:

Along with the obtained data, there are certain more findings obtained. In committed males and females, the correlation between the dependent attachment style and life satisfaction and anxiety, attachment style, and life satisfaction was found to be non-significant.

In single males and females, the correlation between the dependent attachment style and life satisfaction, and anxiety, attachment style, and life satisfaction were, found to be non-significant. The probable reasons for the data being non-significant are similar to the ones stated in the paper.

The Following can be the factors responsible for influencing the obtained results:

1. Correlation or Pearson r, as a statistical technique helps to know the degree of relationship between the two variables and does not indicate a causal relationship between them.
2. Smaller sample size.
3. Respondents may have been honest, while responding to the texts.
4. Respondents may have provided socially desirable answers.
5. Cultural differences.
6. Maybe an expected pattern of behavior.
7. The wording of the questionnaire.

The findings of the study can be used in the application of results in everyday life settings, organizing workshops in schools, and marital counseling, which will help the society to deal with each other with more dignity in terms of enhanced familial relationships and quality of life. Since the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic the results are to be interpreted with caution.