Intimacy status, attachment, separation-individuation patterns, and identity status in female university students

Abstract

This research examined attachment style, separation-individuation patterns, and identity status in relation to intimacy capacity among emerging adulthood women. Some 100 Norwegian university students, aged 18—29 years (M = 22.4; SD = 2.5) completed the Intimacy Status Interview, the Relationship Questionnaire, the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence, and the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-II. Results showed that intimate women had a higher secure attachment score than pseudointimate women and a lower fearful attachment score compared to pseudointimate and merger women. Pseudointimates and mergers showed greater separation-individuation difficulties compared to intimate women; pseudointimates had significantly higher rejection expectancy, dependency denial, and separation anxiety scores, while mergers had significantly higher separation anxiety scores than intimates. Few relationships emerged between identity development and intimacy capacity.