Examining the Impact of Texting on Romantic Relationships Essay

The purpose of this paper will be to explore the effect of communication technology on interpersonal relationships, with regard to the attachment styles of individuals in the relationships. The central thesis is that, based on the anxious and avoidant attachment styles of individuals in the relationship, the influence of text message â€Å"read receipts† will have a negative impact on couples’ overall relationship quality relative to the control. First, I will discuss the relevant literature on attachment styles, providing distinctions between anxious, and avoidant attachment styles. I will then examine research that: establishes the criterion used to measure relationship quality, explains the influence of various attachment styles on relationship quality, and describes the influence of communication technology (specifically texting) on romantic relationships, with regard to individuals’ attachment styles. Then I will discuss the novelty of my hypotheses, providi ng a description of the conceptual methodology required to test these theories. Finally, I will conclude this paper by discussing the implications of my proposal for future research and understanding human behavior. The initial attachment theory, fostered by the collaboration of John Bowlby (1969) and Mary Ainsworth et al. (1978) research, focused on infant’s connection to their mother’s presence, absence and return, and established the three attachment styles: secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment (Bretherton, 1992; Li & Chan, 2012). Future research would continue to build on their theory, applying the attachment styles to adult relationships. In particular, Bartholomew’s (1990) research categorized attachment into four styles based on a two-dimensional model of positi... ...), 150-162. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2010.00639.x Li, T., & Chan, D. K. (2012). How Anxious and Avoidant Attachment Affect Romantic Relationship Quality Differently: A Meta-Analytic Review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 406-419. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.1842 Lou, S. (2014). Effects of Texting on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships: The Role of Attachment [Abstract]. Computers in Human Behavior, 33, 145-152. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.014 Mario, M., & Phillip, S. (2002). Attachment Theory and Affect Regulation: The Dynamics, Development, and Cognitive Consequences of Attachment-Related Strategies. Motivation and Emotion, 27(2), 77-102. Retrieved May 05, 2014, from