Attachment, breakup strategies, and associated outcomes: The effects of security enhancement on the selection of breakup strategies Tara J. Collins ⇑ , Omri Gillath Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd., Fraser Hall, Room 426, Lawrence, KS 66045-7556, United States article info Article history: Available online 28 January 2012 Keywords: Breakup strategies Adult attachment Close relationships Relationship dissolution abstract People tend to use different strategies to dissolve their romantic relationships (Baxter, 1982). The factors predicting selection of breakup strategies, and especially personality factors, have received relatively lit- tle attention. In five studies, using community and students samples, we revised the measure used to assess breakup strategy use, examined the outcomes of the revised strategies, and investigated the asso- ciations of these strategies with attachment dimensions. Attachment avoidance was associated with using less direct breakup strategies; whereas attachment anxiety was associated with using strategies meant to keep open the option of getting back together. In Studies 4 and 5, attachment-security primes were found to decrease these tendencies. Implications for relationship dissolution and attachment theory are discussed. Ó 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The termination of a romantic relationship is a common, highly emotional, stressful, and even painful experience (e.g., Sprecher, Felmlee, Metts, Fehr, & Vanni, 1998). Approximately 70% of college students have experienced a romantic relationship breakup (Knox, Zusman, & Nieves, 1998). In the US, 43–50% of first time marriages end in divorce (US Census Bureau, 2005). Bowlby (1982), and others (e.g., Simpson, 1987) have suggested that the loss of a rela- tionship partner is one of the most traumatic and distressing events in life. Identifying factors that can make the experience of this prevalent event less distressing is essential. A central factor affecting distress following the breakup of a romantic relationship is the type of strategy people use to commu- nicate the breakup message (Banks, Altendorf, Greene, & Cody, 1987). In the present work, after updating existing measurement of breakup strategies, we examine the associations between break- up strategy use, its associated outcomes, and adult attachment. We then examine the possibility of decreasing the tendency to use less compassionate breakup strategies through the enhancement of attachment security. 1.1. Relationship breakups: strategies and outcomes Most breakups are non-mutual, in that one partner desires to end the relationship (the disengager), while the other may not (the recipient; Hill, Rubin, & Peplau, 1976; Sprecher, 1994). This imbalance may lead to negative outcomes, such as depression and anger (e.g., Donald, Dower, Correa-Velez, & Jones, 2006; Sbarra, 2006). Cody (1982) and Baxter (1982, 1984) found that disengagers use a variety of strategies to terminate relationships, which differ in the amount of concern expressed toward the soon to be ex -partner. These differences, in turn, are thought to affect people’s reactions to the breakup (Banks et al., 1987; Sprecher, Zimmerman, & Abrahams, 2010). Unfortunately, much of the research on breakup strategies is outdated. Specifically, many of the breakup strategy measures are nearly 30 years old (e.g., Baxter, 1982; Cody, 1982) and do not reflect recent technological advances that have provided indi- viduals with new ways of terminating relationships (e.g., changing one’s relationship status on Facebook). Additionally, existing mea- sures are based on factor structures that suffer from various psy- chometric issues, potentially leading to the loss of valuable information (e.g., the use of PCA and the Kaiser criterion). The absence of a psychometrically sound instrument has resulted in a lack of consensus regarding the different types of strategies people use (e.g., Baxter, 1982; Cody, 1982). An updated measure will allow researchers to examine the effects of new technological advance- ment and improve psychometric properties, leading to a better understanding of breakup strategy use and its outcomes (e.g., Sprecher et al., 2010). In general, strategies tend to vary in their level of directness and in the amount of care or concern expressed toward the recipient (Baxter, 1985; Sprecher et al., 2010). Strategies that involve indi- rect communication of the breakup message to one’s partner, such as avoiding the partner, reflect less compassion for the recipient 0092-6566/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2012.01.008 ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd., Rm. 550, Lawrence, KS 66045-7556, United States. E-mail address: tarac@ku.edu (T.J. Collins). Journal of Research in Personality 46 (2012) 210–222 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Research in Personality journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jrp