The Mediating Role of Partner Evaluations in the Associations Between Attachment Orientation and Partner Regulation Strategies

The current study investigated how a partner falling short of the desired standard may act as a mediator in the association between attachment orientations and the strategies people use to change qualities of their partners (termed partner regulation). The proposed mediation model was tested on a large sample (N = 965) recruited from the community. The results revealed that for attachment anxiety, evaluating a partner as falling short of the ideal standards of warmth and status mediated associations with negative and positive regulation strategies. For attachment avoidance, evaluating a partner as falling short of ideal standards of attractiveness and status mediated associations with negative and positive regulation strategies.