Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Contingencies of Self Worth

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between attachment styles and contingent self worth in young adults. It was hypothesized that there will be a significant relationship between the contingencies of self worth and attachment styles in young adults. In order to test this hypothesis, a sample of 123 university students (50 males and 73 females) was selected through convenience sampling from different universities in Karachi and was asked to fill in the two measures. The Adult Attachment Scale-Revised (AAS-R) (Collins & Read, 1996) and the Contingencies of Self worth Scale (Crocker., Luhtanen., Cooper, & Bouvrette, 2003) were administered on the sample. A multiple regression analysis showed that secure attachment is inversely related to basing self worth on the domain of Competition (fi --.293 ) and positively correlated to the domain of God’s Love (/? =.278) while anxious attachment style has a positive correlation with the domains of Physical Appearance ( p =.251) and Approval from others (P =.263). Moreover, avoidant attachment style leads one to base their self worth on the domain of Competition (P =.30). All correlations were at a significance level of < 0.05. Therefore, these results have implications for child rearing practices and are applicable in counseling settings