The DOI matches its Crossref record; 138 of the 138 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Adult Romantic Attachment: Theoretical Developments, Emerging Controversies, and Unanswered Questions
Abstract
The authors review the theory of romantic, or pair-bond, attachment as it was originally formulated by C. Hazan and P. R. Shaver in 1987 and describe how it has evolved over more than a decade. In addition, they discuss 5 issues related to the theory that need further clarification: (a) the nature of attachment relationships, (b) the evolution and function of attachment in adulthood, (c) models of individual differences in attachment, (d) continuity and change in attachment security, and (e) the integration of attachment, sex, and caregiving. In discussing these issues, they provide leads for future research and outline a more complete theory of romantic attachment.
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“Attachment theory emphasizes that internal working models shape trust, emotion regulation, and social behavioral strategies, thereby organizing social functioning and interpersonal tendencies (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2019; Fraley & Shaver, 2000).”
From Peer Attachment and Prosocial Behavior: The Mediating Role of Positive Legal Emotion and the Moderating Effect of Social Exclusion (2026) · cites this paper as Fraley & Shaver, 2000
Citations
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Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511 · Cited by 6,247 · cited 10×
“When Hazan and Shaver (1987) began their work on romantic attachment, they adopted Ainsworth's three-category scheme as a framework for organizing individual differences in the way adults think, feel, and behave in romantic relationships.”
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., & Pereg, D. (2003) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1023/a:1024515519160 · Cited by 1,962
“Most empirical tests of these theoretical ideas have focused on a person’s attachment style—the systematic pattern of relational expectations, emotions, and behavior that results from internalization of a particular history of attachment experiences and consequent reliance on a particular attachment-related strategy o…”
BackgroundResultSelf-citationMikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2003) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(03)01002-5 · Cited by 1,485
Self-citationFraley, R. C., Heffernan, M. E., Vicary, A. M., & Brumbaugh, C. C. (2011) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/a0022898 · Cited by 1,198
“…are clearly separable and conceptually independent (e.g., see Bartholomew, 1990); the insecurity that a person experiences regarding attachment figures is not the same conceptual “thing” as the strategies he or she uses to regulate his or her affect and behavior (see Fraley & Shaver, 2000).”
BackgroundSelf-citationShiota, M. N., Keltner, D. J., & John, O. P. (2006) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760500510833 · Cited by 918
“Attachment theory holds that the function of attachment is to provide a secure base for exploration and achievement, as well as facilitating proximity maintenance (Bowlby, 1979; Fraley & Shaver, 2000).”
BackgroundInfluentialAttachment-related psychodynamics
Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2002) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616730210154171 · Cited by 1,294
“…1980), Ainsworth (1991), Cassidy and Kobak (1988), Kobak et al. (1993), and Main (1995) and is a conceptual extension and re nement of previous control-systems representations of the dynamics of the attachment system presented by Shaver, Hazan, and Bradshaw (1988) and Fraley and Shaver (2000).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Venue
- Review of General Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2000-06
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 132-154
- ISSN
- 1089-2680 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1552
- OpenAlex
- W2142842143
- Cited by
- 1,601
- References
- 138
- Citations by year
- 2026: 46 · 2025: 74 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 84 · 2022: 118 · 2021: 68 · 2020: 83 · 2019: 80 · 2018: 69 · 2017: 83 · 2016: 91 · 2015: 80 · 2014: 82 · 2013: 89 · 2012: 70
- FWCI
- 20.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Review of General Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Keywords
- romantic attachment, attachment theory, adult attachment, attachment security, caregiving
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