Investigating the relationship between attachment styles and self-esteem with marital satisfaction of married students of Hormozgan University

Master's Thesis in Family Counseling

Abstract:

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and self-esteem with marital satisfaction of married students of Hormozgan University. To collect information related to hypothesis testing, Coppersmith's self-esteem questionnaires, Collins Veerd's adult attachment test, and Enrich's marital satisfaction questionnaire were used. In this way, after selecting the desired sample from the statistical population of the study, which included all married students of Hormozgan University, the questionnaires were duplicated in the desired number and were given to the respondents of the study by visiting each of the relevant departments in person. The sample size is determined based on the table of Karjesi and Morgan, and cluster random sampling was used to select the samples. After collecting the data, the data was analyzed with SPSS software. Then, in the inferential part, research hypotheses were tested using Pearson's simple correlation test and regression. The results showed that the attachment style and self-esteem of the couple have a significant relationship with the marital satisfaction of the couple. The findings also showed that secure attachment style has a significant relationship with marital satisfaction of couples, but there is no significant relationship between ambivalent and avoidant attachment styles with marital satisfaction.

Key words: attachment styles, self-esteem, marital satisfaction

Introduction

Family is a natural social system that includes at least three generations. The relationship between the members of these subcultures is a deep and multi-layered relationship, which is mainly based on shared history, shared and internalized perceptions and assumptions about the world and shared goals. In such a system, people are connected to each other by strong, lasting and mutual emotional interests and attachments. The intensity of these interests and attachments may decrease over time, but these interests will continue to survive throughout life (Goldenberg[1], 2003).

Marital satisfaction means the compatibility between the expectations that a person has from married life and what he experiences in his life. (Madans [2], 1981). According to Winch, marital satisfaction is the conformity between the existing situation and the expected situation (Winch [3], 1974). Some experts in the definition of marital satisfaction consider it subject to the stages of the life cycle. There are different ways to define marital satisfaction and the best definition is provided by Hawkins. He defines marital satisfaction as the feeling of contentment, contentment, and enjoyment experienced by a husband and wife when they consider all aspects of their marriage. Satisfaction is an attitudinal variable, therefore, it is considered an individual characteristic for husband and wife. According to the aforementioned definition, marital satisfaction is actually a positive and enjoyable attitude that a husband and wife have in different aspects of their marital relationship (Ellis et al. [4], 1996). Various factors affect the strength and durability of the family, one of which is the satisfaction between spouses (Attari et al., 2006). Self-esteem is an important factor for the progress and success of people in all jobs and in married life, and the environment also plays an influencing role in its formation, and marital satisfaction is the result of the exchange of rewarding behaviors (Pourdehghan et al., 2017). The theories of attachment style and differentiation emphasize the primary relationships in the family environment and consider them to be effective on subsequent relationships. They consider the styles of attachment and differentiation as stable and multigenerational factors and suggest how a person's family of origin can affect his marital relationships (Yang et al. [5], 2003). An influential family is a family in which husband and wife talk to each other many times and shape their communication patterns in these conversations. Therefore, it is not necessarily the conflict itself, but the way of coping with the conflict that can be destructive or constructive (Honler and Jankoz [6], 2005).

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Attachment is a method used to conceptualize and measure the quality of dual relationships.So that Cottrell [7] in this context believes that the distinctive feature of attachment is the emotional bond between two people that develops a sense of psychological safety. Burke [8] (2001), defines attachment as follows: attachment is a deep emotional bond established with certain people in a person's life, so that when we interact with them, we feel cheerful and happy, and when we are stressed, we feel relaxed because we have them by our side (Vahedi and Moradi, 2018).

Balbi [9] (1988), three styles of secure attachment, avoidant They recognized ambivalence. Secure attachment is associated with positive communication characteristics such as intimacy and satisfaction, avoidant attachment with lower levels of intimacy and commitment, and ambivalent attachment with excitement and preoccupation in the context of relationships with low satisfaction (Finney and Noller [10], 1990). A person who has high self-esteem evaluates himself positively and has a positive attitude towards himself and others. On the other hand, a person with low self-esteem often has an artificial attitude towards the world, and in despair tries to show himself and others that he is worthy or is isolated and avoids communication with others (Pourdehagan et al., 2007). According to the definition, marital satisfaction is a state in which a husband and wife feel happy and satisfied when they are married to each other and together. And the situation is expected. According to this definition, marital satisfaction is achieved when the existing situation in the marital relationship matches the expected status of the individual. Also, Ellis [11] (1989), states that marital satisfaction is the objective feelings of contentment, satisfaction and pleasure experienced by the wife or husband when they consider all aspects of their marriage (Suleimanian, 2013). It predicts marriage in couples.

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Now the question is, what is the relationship between the attachment styles and self-esteem of couples with marital satisfaction? Which of the attachment styles has a more significant relationship with marital satisfaction? In order to answer these questions and considering the importance of the topic and the said content, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between attachment styles and self-esteem with marital satisfaction in student couples of Hormozgan University. Among the manifestations of human social life is the existence of healthy and constructive interactions between people and the existence of love for the same kind and expressing sincerity and empathy to each other. The family is the place to satisfy various physical, intellectual and emotional needs, and having awareness of biological and psychological needs and knowing how to satisfy them and being equipped with techniques to recognize biological and psychological tendencies is an undeniable necessity. A person's satisfaction with married life is considered as his satisfaction with his family, and satisfaction with his family means satisfaction with life, and as a result, it will facilitate the growth and excellence and the material and spiritual progress of the society (Adalati and Redzvan, 2010).

The results of this study can contain positive ideas for family counselors and counseling institutions. Also, the findings of the present study can reveal important facts about families and couples' relationships. Also, considering the importance of balanced functioning of the family and preventing its disintegration, it seems necessary to know the factors related to marital satisfaction, which is the basis of strengthening family life. Therefore, if we pay attention to the factors affecting marital satisfaction, it can be expected that many psychological, emotional and social problems of families and society as a whole will be reduced by increasing the level of marital satisfaction. Also, by improving the level of marital satisfaction and life satisfaction, people in the society will grow and excel in social, cultural and economic services with peace of mind, and families will also benefit from this progress. It is in the couple of Hormozgan University.