Attachment style, self-esteem, and subjective well-being among late adolescents

Tracy Turkisher, Pace University

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the relationships among attachment style, self-esteem, and subjective well-being in late adolescent college students. The Adult Attachment Scale designed by Collins and Read (1990), was employed to assess attachment style. Other measures included Resenberg's Self-Esteem Inventory (Resenberg, 1965), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Subjects were 180 urban students aged 16-20. Each participant was asked to complete a survey packet containing the aforementioned instruments. Utilizing attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988) and self-in-relation theory (Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, Stiver, & Surrey, 1991) as theoretical frameworks, it was hypothesized that secure attachment style among late adolescent women would be significantly related to measures of self-esteem and subjective well-being. It was further hypothesized that these relationships would be stronger for late adolescent women than for late adolescent men. All hypotheses were confirmed wholly or in part. Results indicated that late adolescent girls who reported secure attachment also tended to report high levels of self-esteem and subjective well-being. Further, these relationships, although significant among men, were stronger for late adolescent women in this study. Implications for school psychologists were addressed as well.

Subject Area

Developmental psychology

Recommended Citation

Turkisher, Tracy, "Attachment style, self-esteem, and subjective well-being among late adolescents" (1994). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI9413151.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI9413151

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