Romantic Attachment Styles and Conflict Management among Young Adults

The present research attempts to understand the relationship between romantic attachment styles (anxious, avoidant) and conflict management (collaborating, competing, compromising, avoiding, & accommodating) in young adults. It also explores the gender differences between attachment styles and conflict management among males and females who are in romantic relationships. For this purpose, a sample of 110 young adults aged from 18- 30 years, 50 males and 60 females were selected for the study. The tools used in the present study were Experiences in Close Relationships-short Form (ECR-SF) (Wei et al., 2007) and Conflict Management Questionnaire (Reginald, 2006). Data analysis was done using the Independent Samples t-Test and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation. The results showed a significant difference in the avoidant attachment styles among males and females Moreover, there was a significant and positive relationship between anxious attachment style and accommodating conflict management. The findings are discussed in the light of the obtained results.