Attachment security schemas to attenuate the appeal of benevolent sexism: The effect of the need to belong and relationship security.

ABSTRACT

Previous research has repeatedly shown a positive association between the need for relationship security and the appeal of benevolent sexism. Possibly, no studies to date had investigated the role of the need to belong with respect to a preference for the ideal partner to endorse benevolently sexist attitudes. Attachment security is considered to attenuate the need for relationship security and to divert the focus from the need to belong. Study 1 therefore investigated potential associations among attachment anxiety, the need to belong, and the appeal of benevolent sexism. It also examined whether the association between the need to belong and a preference for the ideal partner to hold benevolently sexist attitudes is moderated by attachment anxiety. In Study 2, we used a causal design to confirm the findings from Study 1 through the activation of attachment security schema. A moderated regression analysis showed significant interactive effects between the need to belong and attachment anxiety-that is, a positive association between the need to belong and the appeal of benevolent sexism was found only among people high in attachment anxiety. Secure-base scripts attenuated the need to belong as well as the appeal of benevolent sexism. The present findings suggest the importance of attachment schemas in influencing preference for specific partner attitudes through the need to belong and relationship security.