One potential explanation for the different levels of anxiety-depression displayed by the two discordant groups is the degree to which top-down versus bottom-up relationship processes are at play. Individuals who have histories of sensitive, supportive caregiving should make more benevolent, growth-oriented attributions when their relationships are lower in quality (e.g., “We sometimes have trouble resolving conflicts, but things will get better over time if we keep working on it”) (e.g., Rusbult, Verette, Whitney, Slovik, & Lipkus, 1991). These favorable interpretations may buffer these individuals from lower quality relationship experiences. These individuals may also receive greater emotional support from their social networks (e.g., family, friends), which in turn buffers them from elevations in internalizing symptoms commonly associated with lower quality romantic relationships. In contrast, individuals who experienced low quality early caregiving may be especially responsive to “bottom-up” romantic relationship experiences that challenge their previously held views of self and other. Testing these hypotheses is an important direction for future research.
