ABSTRACT
Attachment to parents in infancy and childhood has profound and lasting effects on beliefs about the self and others in relationships. Securely attached individuals feel comfortable depending on others and having others depend on them; insecurely attached individuals feel anxious in relationships and may avoid them. Disorganized attachment is associated with the poorest outcomes, including into adulthood. Parenting is gendered, with gender-congruent behaviors and attitudes rewarded and gender-incongruency discouraged. Mothers report greater closeness with children than fathers. Parental marital conflict and divorce are more likely to negatively affect relationships with fathers. Sibling relationships with sisters tend to involve greater closeness; daughters are more likely to care for elderly parents; and women in general are more likely to provide emotional labor in relationships. Same-sex peers and friends are preferred early in life, with girls’ and women’s friendships characterized by greater trust, loyalty, and closeness than those of boys and men. While secure attachment is most common for adults, women are more likely to show anxious attachment in adulthood romantic relationships, while men tend to show more avoidant attachment. LGBTQ romantic relationships are similar in qualities of satisfaction, passion, and commitment to those of heterosexual adults.
