A culture promoting a strong desire for romantic relationships can greatly influence feelings of romantic loneliness and of closeness. In this study, the authors hypothesized that when not in a romantic relationship, U.S. young adults experience greater degrees of romantic loneliness because of a high desire for romantic relationships, compared with Korean young adults. The authors also predict...

This study explored the interpersonal context of romantic autonomy in mid adolescence by examining within-relationship links with romantic intimacy and affiliation, links across relationships with mothers and friends, and individual differences due to age and gender. Two hundred and thirty adolescents in grades 9, 10 and 11 with a current romantic partner, completed self-report questionnaires a...

Three studies tested the expectation that automatic reactions elicited by the mental representation of one’s current romantic partner, mother, and self relate to adult romantic attachment. Adult romantic attachment was assessed using multiple measures, and individual differences in automatic reactions were assessed by the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Studies 1 and 2 showed that automatic re...

Romantic relationship, a widespread feature of human society, is one of the most influential factors in daily life. Although stimuli related to romantic love or being in a romantic relationship commonly result in enhancement of activation or functional connectivity of the reward system, including the striatum, the structure underlying romantic relationship-related regions remain unclear. Becaus...

The present study examined how adolescents' and their romantic partners' romantic working models and relational styles were related to their interactions with each other. Sixty-five couples (M age = 18.1 years) were observed interacting. Romantic working models were assessed in interviews about their romantic experiences; romantic styles were assessed by self-report. Data were analyzed using th...

Background: Childhood trauma encompasses neglect, abuse, abandonment, witnessing abuse, and having mentally ill and/or parent(s) who engaged in substance abuse. Survivors of trauma are more likely to report insecure attachment styles. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the indirect pathways underlying the relationship between childhood trauma and romantic attachment among adults in In...

To test proposals regarding the hierarchical organization of adult attachment, this study examined developmental origins of generalized and romantic attachment representations and their concurrent associations with romantic functioning. Participants (N=112) in a 35-year prospective study completed the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and Current Relationship Interview (CRI). Two-way analysis of...

Romantic relationships are central in adolescents’ lives. They have the potential to affect development positively, but also place adolescents at risk for problems. Romantic experiences change substantially over the course of adolescence; the peer context plays a critical role as heterosexual adolescents initially interact with the other sex in a group context, then begin group dating, and fina...