Highlights•We review attachment theory postulates related to relational support.•We review
a perspective on thriving that builds on attachment theory.•We emphasize two major …

Highlights•We present a model explaining how close relationships promote thriving.•We
define five components of thriving and two distinct contexts for thriving.•We identify two …

Social support is vital to health and emotional well‐being, but people differ in their
willingness and ability to engage in effective social support processes in close relationships …

Intimate relationships satisfy many important needs, including companionship, sexual
intimacy, and shared parenting, just to name a few. But attachment theory suggests that the …

This study used an attachment theoretical framework to investigate support-seeking and
caregiving processes in intimate relationships. Dating couples (N= 93) were videotaped …

In this article we explain how attachment theory characterizes the seeking, receipt, and
provision of social support. In the first section, we explain attachment theory's perspective on …

Close and caring relationships are undeniably linked to health and well-being at all stages
in the life span. Yet the specific pathways through which close relationships promote optimal …

Highlights•Avoidant people's wish to maintain emotional independence interferes with
sensitive and responsive caregiving.•Anxious people's self-focus, combined with worries …

Attachment theory describes caregiving as a basic component of human nature and
essential for personal and relationship well-being. Caregiving plays a central role in the …

The past two decades have seen a rapid increase in the application of attachment theory to
adult close relationships. Social, developmental, and clinical psychologists have made …