Acculturation Conflict Resolution And Attachment In Close Relationships

Previous research has explored the influence of attachment on the preference for particular conflict resolution styles. Research suggests that conflictual interactions are one of the situations that can activate attachment systems. Although the relationship of attachment to preference for conflict resolution behaviors has been explored, the role of acculturation has received very little attention. Previous research has found acculturation to be highly predictive of certain health-risk behaviors in adolescents, and research has also found that acculturation affects a variety of interactions and plays a role in the relationships people develop outside of the family. The current study sought to explore the relationship between adult acculturation style, attachment styles, and conflict resolution styles in romantic relationships using Rusbult's Exit, Voice, Loyalty, Neglect typology. Participants were eighty-seven students currently involved in romantic relationships. Participants completed questionnaires measuring attachment style, conflict resolution behaviors, and acculturation. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring investment, satisfaction, and commitment in romantic relationships. Results founds that males that assimilated to American culture utilized exit behaviors significantly more often that females that integrated cultures and females that assimilated to American culture. Overall, participants that assimilated utilized exit behaviors significantly more often than participants that integrated cultures. Securely attached adults utilized voice behaviors significantly more often than anxious adults. No significant difference was found for the utilization of voice, neglect, or loyalty for any of the attachment styles (secure, anxious, and avoidant) or for the acculturation variables (integration and assimilation).