Chapter 9: Exercises

Comprehension Check

1. Describe Bowlby's original attachment theory. What evolutionary problem does it solve? What are "internal working models"?

2. Explain Ainsworth's Strange Situation paradigm. What four attachment patterns were identified, and what behaviors characterize each?

3. What are three key differences between infant attachment research and adult romantic attachment research?

4. Why does the pop version's treatment of attachment as fixed types conflict with the research evidence? What does the 25–30% reclassification rate mean?

5. List four factors besides attachment style that predict relationship quality. Why is attachment "one lens, not the only lens"?

Application

6. Find three "What's Your Attachment Style?" quizzes online. Take all three. Compare your results: do you get the same classification? If not, what does this tell you about the reliability of these instruments?

7. Think about two different close relationships in your life (romantic, friendship, or family). Do you behave the same way in both? Does this suggest your "attachment style" is a fixed trait or a context-dependent pattern?

8. Find a popular article or video about attachment styles and evaluate it using the toolkit: - Does it treat attachment as types or dimensions? - Does it cite original research? - Does it acknowledge that attachment can change? - Does it conflate infant attachment with adult romantic attachment?

9. Rewrite one popular attachment claim (e.g., "anxious-attached people always sabotage their relationships") in a more accurate, research-aligned way. How does the meaning change?

10. If you identify with an attachment style, try describing the same patterns without using attachment language. Instead of "I'm anxious-attached," try "In romantic relationships, I tend to worry about whether my partner cares about me, especially when they're less responsive." Does removing the label change how you think about the behavior?

Critical Thinking

11. Bowlby's infant attachment research is among the most replicated in developmental psychology. Hazan and Shaver's adult attachment research is more contested. Why might applying a framework from infant development to adult romance be problematic?

12. The chapter argues that attachment style is not destiny and that the pop version's determinism isn't supported. Could this message discourage people from taking their attachment patterns seriously? How do you balance "this is changeable" with "this is worth understanding"?

13. Social media attachment content often says "anxious + avoidant = toxic." Is this helpful or harmful? Consider: for people in genuinely harmful relationships, it might be validating. For people in normal but challenging relationships, it might foreclose repair.

14. Twin studies suggest attachment has a 25–40% heritable component. If attachment is partly genetic, how does this change the narrative that "your parents made you this way"?

15. The popularity of attachment style content on social media is partly driven by its identity function ("I'm anxious-attached" as identity). Does removing the identity framing reduce the framework's cultural appeal? Is that an acceptable trade-off for accuracy?

Fact-Check Portfolio

16. If any of your 10 claims involve attachment, childhood influences on adult relationships, or relationship patterns: - Does the claim treat attachment as fixed or changeable? - Does it distinguish between the validated infant research and the more contested adult research? - Does it account for factors besides attachment that influence relationship quality? - Update your evidence rating.