Augmenting the Sense of Security in Romantic, Leader–Follower, Therapeutic, and Group Relationships: A Relational Model of Psychological Change

Attachment theory deals with the effects of experiences in close relationships on the development of both favorable and (in the case of nonoptimal relationships) unfavorable personality characteristics. In his exposition of attachment theory, John Bowlby (1973, 1980, 1982, 1988) explained why the availability of caring, supportive relationship partners, beginning in infancy, is so important to developing a sense of attachment security (confidence that one is competent and lovable and that care­ givers will be available and supportive when needed), which in turn fosters the development of stable self-esteem, constructive coping strategies, maintenance of emotional stability, and formation of mutually satisfying relationships throughout life. In our research, we have consistently found that a dispositional sense of secu­ rity as well as experimentally augmented security (based on priming mental rep­ resentations of security) contributes to a “broaden-and-build” (Fredrickson, 2001) cycle of attachment security that has beneficial effects on mental health, social judgments, and interpersonal behaviors (Mikulincer and Shaver, 2003, 2005, 2007; Shaver and Mikulincer, 2002, 2006).