To what extent does psychosocial development have an effect on problem behaviour development? And does the effect of this development of psychosocial maturity differ for boys and girls? This thesis... Show moreTo what extent does psychosocial development have an effect on problem behaviour development? And does the effect of this development of psychosocial maturity differ for boys and girls? This thesis focuses on answering these questions. The research that is presented aims to identify relations in levels as well as paths of psychosocial development on problem behaviour. The study uses data from the School project, a longitudinal research project on adolescents that examined (problem) behaviour and relevant relating factors. This research provides insight into psychosocial development, as well as the effect of parental relations and peer relations on problem behaviour prevalence. Show less
The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was developed in the early 1980s to measure an adult’s attachment representation. Since then, it has been applied in more than 100 studies. This thesis aimed to... Show moreThe Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was developed in the early 1980s to measure an adult’s attachment representation. Since then, it has been applied in more than 100 studies. This thesis aimed to shed light on some of the potentials and limitations of the AAI. We found that coherence, which is an important concept in attachment interviews, is not defined similarly by attachment experts, linguists, and non-experts. Therefore, it seems that a measure for coherence cannot make the AAI more easily accessible for non-attachment experts. Secondly, we showed that the attachment representations of adopted adolescents were related (1) to their own autonomy behaviors and mothers’ relatedness behaviors during a discussion task, (2) to the adolescents’ emotional investment in others, and (3) to the adolescents’ perceived support from others. Intelligence and perceived temperament were not associated with the adolescents’ attachment representation. These results support the validity of the AAI when assessed with (adopted) adolescents. Finally, we revealed that the AAI differentiates between adolescents with divergent physiological responses (interbeat interval reactivity) to attachment relevant situations: dismissing adolescents showed less physiological reactivity during the AAI than secure adolescents, while they appeared to be more stressed during a discussion task with their mothers. Show less
