TITLE:
The Contributions of Attachment and Caregiving Orientations to Living a Meaningful Life
AUTHORS:
Abira Reizer, Dana Dahan, Phillip R. Shaver
KEYWORDS:
Attachment; Caregiving; Meaning in Life
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: This study adopted Bowlby’s (1982) behavioral
systems perspective on meaning in life by focusing on two behavioural systems
discussed by Bowlby: attachment and caregiving. Three hypotheses were formulated:
1) attachment orientations will predict meaning in life; 2) caregiving
orientations will predict meaning in life; 3) attachment will moderate the
associations between caregiving and sense of meaning in life. Three hundred
thirteen adults completed self-report scales measuring attachment, caregiving,
and two aspects of meaning in life (presence of meaning and searching for
meaning). Results indicated that attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance),
caregiving deactivation, and the interaction between attachment anxiety and
caregiving deactivation contributed uniquely to the prediction of meaning in
life. In addition, religiosity contributed significantly to the presence of
meaning. Finally, attachment anxiety and caregiving deactivation predicted
searching for meaning. The study shows that a behavioral systems perspective
can contribute to the literature on meaning in life.