Attachment and Spiritual Maturity 63
suggesting a comprehensive theory of attachment redirected attention from personality to
attachment in adult relationships. Included in their thinking is how adult relationships
develop, the functions they would normally serve, and the security of relationships. The
affect from an adult relationship may change or influence affectual bonds ofchildhood.
This allows for a more interactive model between representational models from childhood
and the processes of change in adult attachment relationships (Kobak, 1994). The lack of
correlation may suggest that adult attachments may influence internal working models
established in childhood to a greater degree than has previously been suggested. This needs to be addressed in future research.
The second issue raised in the relationship between child attachment and secure
adult attachment is that perceived paternal bonding in childhood has a significant
relationship to secure adult attachment. When multiple childhood attachments are
considered in empirical attachment studies, maternal behaviors constitute the primary
caretaker role exclusively (Lewis, 1994). Lewis raised some concerns regarding
attachment researchers' exclusive focus on the mother. Up until 1991 there were only 11
studies in which the child's attachment to both mother and father was obtained (Fox,
Kimmerly, & Schafer, 1991). Although there is nothing in attachment theory requiring
that mother be the primary attachment figure, in actuality, it tends to be the mother. One
exception is Colin's (1987) study, where 24% of the studied infants directed stronger
attachment behavior to their fathers than to their mothers. Each of the father's in Colin's
study had spent substantial time with their infants and had participated actively in their
care. When paternal attachment is reported significant and maternal is not, such as in this
study, the question arises as to the difference in attachment between fathers and mothers.
This needs to be addressed in future research.
Relationship of Secure Adult Attachment and Faith Maturity The most significant finding of this study is the significant positive relationship
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