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Int J Adv Counselling (2008) 30:220234 DOI 10.1007/s10447-008-9059-8
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Gender Differences in Attachment Styles Regarding Conflict Handling Behaviors Among Turkish Late Adolescents
zlem Kararmak & Nagihan Ouz Duran
Published online: 10 October 2008# Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008
Abstract This study was designed to examine gender differences in attachment styles and explore the relationship between attachment styles and preference for conflict handling behavior in close relationships among Turkish adolescents. The participants comprised 371 Turkish undergraduate students (252 females and 119 males; with a mean age of 21.98 years; standard deviation 1.18) enrolled in different departments of the Faculty of Education at Middle East Technical University in Ankara. A Turkish version of Bartholomew and Horowitzs (J Pers Soc Psychol, 61:226244, 1991) Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) and the Conflict Questionnaire (CQ) developed by Tezer (J Psychol, 130:281292, 1996) were used to obtain data. Intercorrelations among four attachment style subscales, and correlation coefficients among four attachment styles and five conflict handling behaviors were computed in addition to a series of ANOVAs and ANCOVAs. Results revealed an association between attachment styles and conflict handling, as well as gender differences in attachment styles.
Keywords Attachment style . Conflict handling behaviors . Late adolescents
Introduction
Attachment theory has gained increasing attention in recent years, perhaps more than any other theoretical concept in the social sciences. Attachment theory, developed originally by Bowlby (1982/1969, 1973, 1980) and refined by several other researchers (cf., Ainsworth 1973; Hazan and Shaver 1987; Bartholomew and Horowitz 1991) is a sophisticated and complex theory of the development of personality. It is frequently utilized as an explanatory theoretical framework with diverse variables in a wide variety of research in social sciences.
. Kararmak (*)
Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey e-mail: [email protected]
N. O. DuranUluda University, Bursa, Turkey e-mail: [email protected]
Int J Adv Counselling (2008) 30:220234 221
Attachment theory is essentially concerned with the affection bond that evolves from early interaction with attachment figures, especially the mother (Bowlby 1982/1969). When the infant is born, he or she starts to establish and maintain an attachment style with the primary caregiver and this early interaction influences the individual to a great extent in later life (Bowlby 1982/1969). If the primary caregiver is accessible and responsive to the emotional and physical needs...