Influences of Attachment Theory on Personality Development

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The concepts proposed by attachment theory have been very influential to the field of personality psychology. Over the years, many studies have supported the notion that mother-child attachment styles during childhood can impact future styles of behavior. Research conducted by Festa and Ginsburg (2011) examined the impact of parental and peer factors on the development of social anxiety amongst children. Further research conducted by Li and Chan (2012) examined the specific impact of anxiety and avoidant attachment styles on the development of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral indicators in determining the quality of romantic relationships amongst adults (Li & Chan, 2012).

Individuals that possess social anxiety disorder (SAD) experience overwhelming feelings of fear when put into social situations, leaving them distressed and inhibited (Festa and Ginsburg, 2011). There are many possible factors that can encourage the development of social anxiety disorder, some of which include parent-child relationships, parent anxiety, rejection, overcontrol, social acceptance, support by peers, and friendship quality. Of these factors, Festa and Ginsburg (2011) specifically observed:

The relative importance of parental (i.e., parental anxiety, rejection, and overcontrol) and peer factors (i.e., social acceptance, social support, and friendship quality) in children that have or are at risk of obtaining social anxiety disorder (Festa et al., 2011, p. 291).

A series of questionnaires and an interview were administered to 63 children and their biological parents. Of the 63 parents, twenty-six were diagnosed with some form of an anxiety disorder using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (Festa et al., 2011). First, children...

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References

Ginsburg, G. G., & Festa, C. F. (2011). Parental and peer predictors of social anxiety in youth. Child Psychiatry human development, 291-306. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3359646/

Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (). Romantic Love Conceptualized as an Attachment Process. Personality and Social Psychology , 52, 511-524.

Li, T., & Chan, D. K. (2012). How anxious and avoidant attachment affect romantic relationship quality differently: A meta-analytic review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 406-419. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1842

Slavin, R. (2011). Educational psychology. (10 ed.). Boston: Pearson College Div

Waters, T. (2004). Learning to Love: From your Mother's Arms to your Lover's Arms . The Medium (Voice of the University of Toronto), 30, 1-4.

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