A Qualitative Validation of Two Diagrammatic Measures of Attachment Network Structure
Abstract
Abstract. In two qualitative evaluation studies, we explored the construct validity of two diagrammatic measures of attachment network structure, including the Bull’s Eye diagrammatic technique and a significantly modified version, the Web-based Hierarchical Mapping Technique (WHMT). In the first study, 20 young adults completed a Bull’s Eye diagram followed by a semi-structured interview in which participants explained their placement of support figures in their diagrams. Interview transcripts were analyzed using theory-driven thematic analysis to determine the presence of attachment-related themes, including safe haven, secure base effect, and proximity maintenance. Findings indicated mixed support for the Bull’s Eye as a measure of attachment networks. Although attachment themes were dominant among participants who identified a parent as their primary attachment figure, this was not the case among participants who identified a peer as a primary attachment figure. Participant justifications for peer attachments relied on non-attachment themes, including identity exploration and companionship. In the second study, we applied the same qualitative method to investigate the WHMT. Saturation was reached sooner, and attachment themes were dominant for both parent and peered primary attachment. Findings support the construct validity of the WHMT as a new measure of attachment network composition and strength.
References
1989). Attachments beyond infancy. American Psychologist, 44(4), 709–716. https://web.archive.org/web/20190224065502id_/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5431/41e657bda74736ff87ac10d70643cd639892.pdf
(1986). Hierarchical mapping technique. Generations, 10, 10–12. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44876253
(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
(1987). Peer-group affiliation and adolescent self-esteem: An integration of ego-identity and symbolic-interaction theories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.1.47
(1969/1982). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. Basic Books.
(1999).
(The nature of the child’s ties . In J. CassidyP. R. Shaver (Eds.). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 3–20). The Guilford Press.2004). The composition of attachment networks throughout the adult years. Personal Relationships, 11(4), 469–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00093.x
(1994). Identity and the life cycle. W. W. Norton.
(2004). Transfer of Attachment from parents to romantic partners: Effects of individual and relationship variables. Journal of Family Studies, 10(2), 220–238. https://doi.org/10.5172/jfs.327.10.2.220
(1997). Attachment formation and transfer in young adults’ close friendships and romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 4, 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1997.tb00135.x
(2001). Primary attachment to parents and peers during adolescence: Differences by attachment style. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(6), 653–674. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012200511045
(2021). Supplemental materials for: A qualitative validation of two diagrammatic measures of attachment network structure. PsychArchives. https://doi.org/10.23668/PSYCHARCHIVES.4883
(in press). I only have eyes for you: Oxytocin administration supports romantic attachment formation through diminished interest in close others and strangers. Psychoneuroendochrinology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105415
(2018). Attachment network structure as a predictor of romantic attachment formation and insecurity. Social Development, 27(1), 201–220. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012200511045
(2015). Are we there yet? Data saturation in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 20(9), 1408–1416. http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR20/9/fusch1.pdf
(2006). Revisiting methodological issues in transcript analysis: Negotiated coding and reliability. Internet and Higher Education, 9, 1–8.
(1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine.
(1991, April). The process of relinquishing parents as attachment figures. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA.
(2015).
(Normative processes in romantic attachment: Introduction and overview . In V. ZayasC. HazanEds., Bases of adult attachment: Linking brain, mind and behavior (pp. 3–8). Springer.1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511
(1980). The hierarchical mapping technique. Generations, 13, 10–12.
(2018). Are you my attachment figure? A (currently) unanswerable question. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12(12), Article
(e12423 . https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.124232016). Peer influence on gender identity development in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 52(10), 1578–1592. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000200
(1999).
(Epilogue. Attachment theory: Eighteen points with suggestions for future studies . In J. CassidyP. R. ShaverEds., Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 845–888). Guilford Press.1985). Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 50(1–2, Serial No. 209), 66–106. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333827
(2010). Testing the function of attachment hierarchies during emerging adulthood. Personal Relationships, 17, 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01272.x
(2010). Assessing adolescents’ attachment hierarchies: Differences across developmental periods and associations with individual adaptation. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 20, 678–706. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00655.x
(2005). Preliminary support for the use of a hierarchical mapping technique to examine attachment networks. Personal Relationships, 12, 499–519. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2005.00128.x
(1977). Attachment as an organizational construct. Child Development, 48(4), 1184–1199. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128475
(1997). Hierarchies of attachment relationships in young adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14, 603–625. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407597145002
(1991).
(The attachment bond in childhood and adulthood . In C. M. ParkesP. MarrisJ. Stevenson-HindeEds., Attachment across the life cycle (pp. 66–76). Routledge.2016). Improving the factor structure of psychological scales: The Expanded format as an alternative to the Likert scale format. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 76(3), 357–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164415596421
(