Abstract

LIMA, Vânia; VIEIRA, Filipa  and  SOARES, Isabel. Attachment in Couple’s Relationship: Representation of Intimacy and Couple’s Inter­action. Psicologia [online]. 2006, vol.20, n.1, pp.51-63. ISSN 0874-2049.

Adopting Bowlby’s attachment theory as the framework to the study of couples’ relationships, there has been a growing interest of research regarding the specific contribution attachment plays in adult intimate relation­ships. Generally, two different research approaches may be distinguished: a repre­sentational and a behavioural one, focused on specific features of couple’s inter­action. This paper addresses the relation between the quality of representation of the intimate relationship and the behaviour within this relational context, using the Intimate Relationship Interview (Lima, Vieira, Soares & Collins, 2005) and the Couple Interaction Task (Collins, Hennighausen, Madsen & Roisman, 1998). Preliminary data suggest a relation between the quality of representation of the intimate relationship and the specific attachment behaviours, emphasizing the relevance of combining multiple assessment methods when considering attach­ment in adult intimate relationships.

Keywords : adult attachment; intimacy; couple’s interaction.

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