Linking adult attachment to self-esteem stability

Although it is known that adult attachment is associated with self-esteem level (i.e., whether individuals' typical feelings of self-worth are high or low), little is known about how the attachment system is connected to other important components of self-esteem. In the research reported here, we examined how aspects of the attachment system relate to stability of self-esteem (i.e., the extent to which individuals' current feelings of self-worth exhibit fluctuations). Our findings revealed a link between high attachment anxiety and unstable self-esteem that is independent of self-esteem level. Attachment avoidance, conversely, was unrelated to self-esteem stability. These results are consistent with the developmental and social-cognitive characteristics of attachment anxiety. They also are consistent with recent research showing that anxious attachment moderates the effect of social feedback on self-evaluations. Discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical implications of this research.