Hutchison, Timothy; (2023) Adult attachment, cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses and the impact of social media. Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Individual differences in attachment style have been associated with a range of different experiences in adult romantic relationships including how we think, feel and respond behaviourally (Gillath et al., 2016). These differences are understood through the operation of internal working models of attachment of self and other (Simpson & Rholes, 2017; Collins & Allard, 2001; Collins & Read, 1990). Despite the theoretical importance of context in understanding how working models function, there is little empirical work into the impact of contextual differences on the operation of working models and the consequent impact on relationship experiences (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016). As a near ubiquitous feature of contemporary romantic relationships, the role of social media on the activation of attachment working models is an under-researched area. Furthermore, there is a growing interest in the impact of social media on social psychological processes. Little is known, however, about whether and in what way social media contexts transform offline processes as opposed to merely mirroring them, as described in the mirroring framework (see Nesi et al., 2018). This conceptual introduction will describe research on adult attachment, internal working models, the associations with cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses in adult romantic relationships and the impact of context on attachment processes. In the second part, it will consider two frameworks (McFarland & Ployhart, 2015, Nesi et al., 2018) that explain how social media is a distinct interpersonal context that impacts the cognition, affect and behaviour of individuals. The introduction will conclude by drawing on this research to make predictions about how social media context might influence the relationship between attachment and cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses in romantic relationships.

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