ABSTRACT
Intersections of infant attachment theory with models of close relationships and social support in adulthood are proposed within the framework of the social convoy model elaborated by Kahn and Antonucci (1980). Close relationships across the life span are viewed as continuations of early attachment relations, governed by similar processes and serving similar functions. The primary process is hypothesized to be the establishment and maintenance of relationship expectations, forged through familiarity with relationship partners and mutually contingent feedback, and influenced by cultural norms and past relationship experiences. Relationships are thought to be stabilized and given continuity through mutual adaptation to partner expectations, modulation of conflict, and maintenance of behavior within the limits of partner tolerance. Developmental changes in existing relationships and structural changes over the life course in the individual’s circle of close relationships are thought to ensue from changes in cognitive ability, individual maturation, and age-related social norms. Changes in the ability to modulate conflict may also play a role in the evolution of relationships. Consistent with an attachment model, personal well-being is hypothesized to be related primarily to close relationships rather than to support networks as a whole, and data are cited to suggest that one such relationship may be sufficient.
For the past several years, researchers have been documenting the importance of social relationships to personal well-being. This research has cut across disciplinary lines and has been focused on populations differing markedly in age, culture, and life circumstances. It includes the work of developmental researchers on infant attachment, a large and growing number of empirical findings on social network relations and social support, and the newer but no less significant work 184of social psychologists on close relationships in adulthood. A life-span model of relationships must necessarily draw upon these diverse literatures and integrate across age-specific domains. Although such integration is admittedly difficult, it is important to resist the oversimplification that may result from the direct application of models developed exclusively in one domain.
The search for a life-span attachment paradigm began more than a decade ago (Antonucci, 1976). In a continuation of this effort, Kahn and Antonucci (1980) articulated a life-span model linking the concepts of attachment and social support. Support has been viewed traditionally as a function of the network of social relationships within which the individual is embedded. In the Kahn and Antonucci model, the phrase “social support convoy” replaces the more traditional nomenclature, “social support network,” to convey the importance of viewing the social network as a dynamic structure that changes with the development of the individual and alterations in the environment.
The convoy model is grounded in theories of attachment and social roles, and dyadic relationships are seen as the basic units of convoy structure and function. The model predicts both continuity and change in convoy relationships. Although some relationships will remain stable, both the composition of the individual’s support convoy and the nature of the relationships between the individual and convoy members are expected to change over the life course. This model serves as a point of departure for considering the intersection of the concepts of attachment and close relationships.
The body of this chapter involves first an overview of selected research addressed to the differentiation of attachment relationships from other convoy relationships. Then three specific life-span attachment issues are explored. These include: (a) the issue of continuity and change; (b) the processes accounting for attachment formation, maintenance, and dissolution across the life span; and (c) the link between attachment and personal well-being.
