The Roles of Attachment Styles and Attribution Styles towards Relationship Satisfaction

Abstract

     The purpose of this research was to examine the direct effects of the anxious and avoidant attachment styles on relationship satisfaction, and the indirect effects via the attribution style—loci of the causes, stability of the causes, globality of the causes, and responsibility and blame of the partner for the situations—in negative, romantic relationship situations. Four hundred and fifty four undergraduate students, either currently or previously in a relationship, completed a battery of questionnaires assessing their attachment styles, attribution styles, and relationship satisfaction. Structural equation modeling revealed that an anxious attachment style did not have a significant direct effect on the relationship satisfaction, but an indirect effect via this attribution style was significant. On the contrary, an avoidant attachment style had a direct effect on the relationship satisfaction without having an indirect effect via attribution styles.