The role of attachment in the aftermath of divorce

Academic Paper from the year 2021 in the subject Psychology - Developmental Psychology, grade: 1,0, Stockholm University, language: English, abstract: Divorce is a complex and emotional experience for many individuals as it involves the loss of a vital attachment bond within adulthood. Therefore, the perspective of attachment theory is highly applicable to the study of divorce. Attachment theory is a relevant framework for marital separation in two main ways. First, attachment theory provides a normative perspective on how individuals deal with the loss of an attachment figure. Second, individual differences in attachment behaviors can account for variations in people’s responses to divorce. This paper will discuss both of these perspectives from the theoretical background and review relevant empirical work. For reasons of space, the effects of divorce on children and adolescents are not considered in this paper. The focus is on the adult perspective.