Power in Romantic Relationships: Power and its Association with Attachment and Conflict Styles

This study assessed whether attachment insecurities shape perceptions of relational power, and whether these perceptions mediate the associations between attachment insecurities and maladaptive conflict styles. A total of 136 participants completed questionnaires measuring attachment anxiety and avoidance, conflict styles (attack, conflict avoidance, and problem-solving) and perceptions of power: relative relational (decision-making) power, satisfaction with relative relational power, relative relational interest (emotional investment), and resource power (‘assets’ that give power in the relationship). It was hypothesized that attachment anxiety would be associated negatively with perceptions of relative relational power, satisfaction with relative relational power, overall resource power and ratings of most ‘assets’, but positively with relative relational interest. Further, it was predicted that the associations of attachment anxiety with higher attack and lower-problem solving would be partially mediated by low relative relational power and low satisfaction with relative relational power. There was limited support for these predictions (e.g., attachment anxiety was associated negatively with relative relational power), but no support for the mediation model. Regarding attachment avoidance, it was predicted that this variable would be associated negatively with satisfaction with relational power and relative relational interest, but positively with overall resource power and ratings of most ‘assets’. Further, the associations of attachment avoidance with higher conflict avoidance and lower problem solving were expected to be partially explained by dissatisfaction with relational power. Again, limited support was obtained for these predictions (e.g., attachment avoidance was linked to dissatisfaction with relational power); there was no evidence of power as a mediating variable in predicting conflict styles. Future research directions are discussed, together with practical implications