The Influences of Parents\' Emotional Expressiveness on Children\'s Internal Working Model of Attachment Relationships
AUTHOR : 송하나
INFORMATION : page. 39~55 / 2006 Vol.13 No.3
ABSTRACT
The first purpose of this study was to examine the relations between children\'s types of attachment security and individual representations of family members. Additionally, the influence of parental emotion expressiveness on children\'s mental representations of attachment relationships was examined. Sixty four children (37 boys and 27 girls) who live in Seoul and its vicinity were interviewed using a Korean translation of Attachment Story Completion Task, and their mothers and fathers completed a questionnaire for emotional expressiveness. Results showed that children\'s representations of mothers and fathers were significantly related to their types of attachment security, but there was no significant correlation between types of attachment security and representations of siblings. It was obvious that mothers and fathers are the important attachment figures to children in early childhood. Children\'s type of attachment security was also significantly influenced by mothers\' negative and fathers\' positive emotion expressiveness. Securely attached children were more likely to have mothers who expressed fewer negative emotions, and fathers who expressed more positive emotions. The results were discussed in terms of a concept of open communication in relationships, and the discussion also included suggestions for future studies.