EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CURRENT ATTACHMENT STATUS AND FREELY RECALLED AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD

• Published in: Psychoanalytic psychology 2010-01, Vol.27 (1), p.27-41
• Main Authors: Haggerty, Greg D, Siefert, Caleb J, Weinberger, Joel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attachment; Attachment Behavior; Autobiographical Memory; Avoidance; Caretakers; Childhood; Childhood memories; Early Memories; Female; Human; Individual Differences; Male; Memories
• ISSN: 0736-9735; 1939-1331
• DOI: 10.1037/a0018638

This study investigated the relationship between individual differences in attachment and the free recall of childhood memories. Specifically, it focuses on how attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, using the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale self-report, relate to the affective quality and the presence of caregivers in memories from childhood. Participants were 79 undergraduate and masters students attending a northeast university. Participants completed a memory task designed to elicit freely recalled memories from childhood. They then rated the affective valence (positive/negative) and intensity of each memory, and identified memories in which caretakers were present. Attachment avoidance was related to recalling more negative memories involving caretakers and was negatively related to the average intensity of memories involving caretakers. The results support and extend previous research suggesting that affect regulation strategies employed by individuals high in attachment anxiety and high in attachment avoidance are linked to differences in how information about the past is recalled.