Self-views in close relationships:: The influence of attachment styles

Two studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that self models (positive vs. negative) determine whether temporarily accessible information changes one's self-evaluations. Regularly dating participants were led to review selectively their relationship-related behaviours which had either favourable or unfavourable implications for their close relationships. Based on the four-group model of attachment (secure, preoccupied, fearful, and dismissing; Bartholomew, 1990), attachment orientations were either assessed (Study 1) or activated by a guided imagination task (Study 2). The results show that participants holding a negative model of the self were more susceptible to variations in accessible information than those holding a positive model of the self. Their self-evaluations shifted in the positive direction when positive information was salient and in the negative direction when negative information was salient. Secure and dismissing (positive self model) participants were largely unaffected by the salience manipulation. The results are discussed in light of theories that propose a dynamic self-concept.