Lamarche, Veronica M and Blackie, Laura ER and McLean, Kate C (2024) The story of 'us' is the story of 'me': A cross-sectional test of the influence of insecure attachment on narratives of romantic transgressions and high points. PLoS ONE, 19 (9). e0306838-e0306838. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306838
Lamarche, Veronica M and Blackie, Laura ER and McLean, Kate C (2024) The story of 'us' is the story of 'me': A cross-sectional test of the influence of insecure attachment on narratives of romantic transgressions and high points. PLoS ONE, 19 (9). e0306838-e0306838. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306838
Lamarche, Veronica M and Blackie, Laura ER and McLean, Kate C (2024) The story of 'us' is the story of 'me': A cross-sectional test of the influence of insecure attachment on narratives of romantic transgressions and high points. PLoS ONE, 19 (9). e0306838-e0306838. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306838
Abstract
Narratives play an important role in the development of the self-identity. Romantic relationships offer a powerful context in which to develop these narratives about the self through the good and the bad experiences people have with their partners. However, the stories we tell can also be colored by how we already see ourselves. In a secondary analysis, using a prospective longitudinal study of people in established romantic relationships (N = 402), we tested pre-registered hypotheses regarding how attachment anxiety and avoidance lead people to develop narratives about their relationship high-points and transgressions, and whether these narratives influence their relationship satisfaction over time. Relatively higher avoidance, but not anxiety, was related to narrative construction. Those relatively higher in avoidance made more negative event connections about themselves in their transgression narratives, and more positive event connections about themselves in their relationship high-point narratives. Narrative content, however, did not mediate the association between attachment anxiety and avoidance and relationship satisfaction. Despite the lack of support for some of our pre-registered hypotheses, these findings provide valuable insights into how insecure attachment influences the stories people tell about their relationships, and how they link these events back to the self.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Narration; Object Attachment; Personal Satisfaction; Prospective Studies; Self Concept; Sexual Partners; Young Adult |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Psychology, Department of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 29 Jul 2025 14:36 |
Last Modified: | 29 Jul 2025 14:37 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/41344 |
Available files
Filename: journal.pone.0306838.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0