Attachment-related avoidance and the social and agentic content of nostalgic memories. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abeyta, Andrew A.; Routledge, Clay; Roylance, Christina; Wildschut, Tim; Sedikides, Constantine
• Is Part Of: Journal of social and personal relationships. Volume 32:Number 3(2015)
• Page Start: 406
• Page End: 413
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Agency -- attachment-related avoidance -- attachment style -- nostalgia; Interpersonal relations -- Periodicals; Social interaction -- Periodicals; 302.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0265407514533770
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-4075

Abstract

The reported research tested whether the social and agentic content of nostalgic memories varies as a function of attachment-related avoidance. We measured individual differences in attachment-related avoidance and anxiety and coded the interpersonal and agentic content of nostalgic and non-nostalgic narratives. Results revealed that nostalgic (relative to non-nostalgic) narratives contained more social content and that this link was not moderated by attachment-related avoidance. There was a significant association between attachment-related avoidance and attachment-related social content in nostalgic, but not non-nostalgic, past narratives. There was also a significant association between attachment-related avoidance and agency content in nostalgic, but not non-nostalgic narratives.