Ecology, childhood experiences, and adult attachment styles of women in the kibbutz

The present study exploited a “natural experiment” which covered variations in child-rearing conditions within the communal setting of the Israeli kibbutz. The long-term effects of these variations and of childhood experiences on attachment styles of adults were examined. Three groups of mothers who...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of behavioral development 2001-05, Vol.25 (3), p.214-225
Main Authors: Sharabany, Ruth, Mayseless, Ofra, Edri, Gilat, Lulav, Doron
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affectivity. Emotion
Attachment style
Biological and medical sciences
Childhood experiences
Ecological aspects
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Israel
Kibbutzim
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Women
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Summary:The present study exploited a “natural experiment” which covered variations in child-rearing conditions within the communal setting of the Israeli kibbutz. The long-term effects of these variations and of childhood experiences on attachment styles of adults were examined. Three groups of mothers who were raised in the kibbutz participated: (1) a Communal group, mothers raised communally and now raising their child communally; (2) a Familial group, mothers raised in the family and now raising their child in the family, and (3) a Non-continuous group, mothers raised communally and now raising their child in the family. In keeping with studies with infants, we expected the familial group to show the most security, the communal group to show the least security, and the non-continuous to be in between. Participants were 152 women with school-age children. They reported on their attachment styles and availability of significant others during childhood. Additionally, they evaluated the child-rearing context of themselves and of their children. The three groups did not differ in their attachment security or in the reported availability of significant others in childhood. They differed in their evaluations of their own and their children’s child-rearing contexts. Specifically, they had negative evaluations regarding the communal sleeping arrangement. Security of attachment was related to reported availability of significant others in childhood. These results are discussed in view of the differentiation between contextual-distal variables and process-proximal variables.
ISSN:0165-0254
1464-0651
DOI:10.1080/01650250042000230