Vol 3, No 1, 2004 pp. 83-97
UDC 159.942.2-053.6
AFFECTIVE BONDING OF ADOLESCENTS
IN PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS
Biljana Žuvela
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade University
e-mail: beba011@yahoo.com
Abstract. The paper explores affectional bonding of adolescents
in emotional partner relationships. The research aimed at identifying the
four types of attachment, defined by the four-category attachment model
(Kim Bartholomew, 1990) - secure, preoccupied, dismissing and fearful -
in intimate partner relationships on a sample of Belgrade adolescents,
as well as the relatedness of these types to the variables child-parent
relationship, sex, marital status of parents, and an early-childhood separation
experience. The sample included 231 adolescents of both sexes, aged 17-19.
To assess the types of bonding we used the multi-item scale of self-evaluation
- Intimate Relationships Experience Scale (Brennan, Clark and Shaver, 1998)
which allows for assessing the type of bonding of the examinee on the basis
of general attitudes, beliefs, and expectations from the partner and intimate
relationship, the feeling of pleasure or discomfort caused by intimacy,
as well as on the basis of usual behaviour towards the intimate partner.
The perception of the relationship with the parents was assessed by applying
a modified version of the SRDI scale (modified by Opacic and Kos, 1988),
while the data on the marital status of the parents and an early-childhood
separation experience were assessed by applying a questionnaire specially
designed for the purpose of this research. The results confirmed the presence
of four main types of bonding in partner relationships on the sample of
Belgrade adolescents. The fearful type of bonding is significantly more
present in the girls. It was observed that there was a combination of dimensions
of the perceived relationship with the parents which accurately discriminates
between the four types of adolescent bonding in intimate partner relationships:
unrealistic expectations, control and neglect on the part of the father,
lack of intimacy with him, unrealistic expectations and control on the
part of the mother. There are significant differences between boys and
girls with respect to the relatedness of partner bonding to the perceived
relationship with the parents: the perceived quality of their relationship
with the parents in girls corresponds to the quality of later bonding in
partner relationships, while in boys it is not the case. No significant
relatedness was determined between the types of bonding in partner relationships
of adolescents on one hand and the variables such as the marital status
of the parents and an early-childhood separation experience on the other.
Key words: types of bonding in adolescents, intimate partner
relationships, perceived relationship with parents, gender differences
AFEKTIVNA VEZANOST ADOLESCENATA
U PARTNERSKIM ODNOSIMA
U radu je proučavana afektivna vezanost adolescenata u emotivnim partnerskim
odnosima. Istraživanje je imalo za cilj identifikovanje četiri stila vezanosti,
definisanih četirikategorijalnim modelom vezanosti Kim Bartholomew (1990)
- sigurni, bojažljivi, preokupirani i povlačeći - u bliskim partnerskim
odnosima na beogradskom uzorku adolescenata, kao i povezanost stilova sa
varijablama odnos roditelj-dete, pol, bračni status roditelja i iskustvo
separacije na ranom uzrastu. Uzorkom je obuhvaćen 231 adolescent, oba pola,
uzrasta 17 do 19 godina. Za procenu stilova vezanosti adolescenata korišćena
je višeajtemska skala samoprocene - Skala iskustava u bliskim odnosima
(autora Brennan, Clark i Shaver, 1998), kojom se na osnovu opštih stavova,
verovanja i očekivanja od partnera i bliskih odnosa, osećanja prijatnosti
ili neprijatnosti usled ostvarivanja bliskosti i na osnovu uobičajenog
ponašanja u odnosu sa emotivnim partnerom procenjuje stil vezanosti ispitanika.
Opažanje odnosa sa roditeljima je procenjeno primenom modifikovane verzije
SRDI skale (autori modifikacije Opačić i Kos, 1988), a podaci o bračnom
statusu roditelja i iskustvu separacije na ranom uzrastu, putem upitnika
specijalno konstruisanog za potrebe ovog istraživanja. Rezultati su potvrdili
postojanje četiri glavna stila vezanosti u partnerskim odnosima na uzorku
beogradskih adolescenata. Kod devojaka je značajno zastupljeniji bojažljivi
stil vezanosti u odnosu na mladiće. Utvrđeno je da postoji kombinacija
dimenzija percipiranog odnosa sa roditeljima, koja dobro diskriminiše četiri
stila vezanosti adolescenata u bliskim partnerskim odnosima: nerealni zahtevi,
kontrola i zanemarivanje od strane oca, nedostatak bliskosti sa njim, nerealni
zahtevi i kontrola od strane majke. Postoje značajne razlike između devojaka
i mladića u pogledu povezanosti partnerske vezanosti sa percipiranim odnosom
sa roditeljima: kod devojaka je opaženi kvalitet odnosa sa roditeljima
povezan sa kvalitetom kasnije vezanosti u partnerskim odnosima, a kod mladića
nije. Nije utvrđena značajna povezanost između stilova vezanosti u partnerskim
odnosima adolescenata i varijabli bračni status roditelja i iskustvo separacije
na ranom uzrastu.
Ključne reči: obrasci afektivnog vezivanja, afektivne veze odraslih,
afektivne veze partnera, unutrašnji radni model.
