Psychoanalytic Psychology, Vol 42(3), Jul 2025, 159-163; doi:10.1037/pap0000537
Previous research has repeatedly highlighted the strong connection between attachment patterns and the quality of intimate relationships. The present study will investigate Kernberg’s concept of the capacity to love (CTL) as a possible mediator of the link between attachment and relationship quality. A total sample of 782 participants currently in a relationship (88% female; Mage = 29 years, SD = 8.87; range = 17–75) was investigated. Mediational analysis was conducted via path analysis to examine the relationship between adult attachment, the CTL, and relationship satisfaction (RS). The results suggest that significant negative effects of both attachment avoidance and anxiety mediated via specific facets of CTL onto RS. Attachment avoidance was fully mediated, while attachment anxiety was partially mediated. Overall, attachment and CTL scales were able to explain 57% of the variance of satisfaction in close relationships total score, while attachment explained between 10% and 52% of CTL scales variance. The findings indicate that several dimensions of CTL are important hallmarks of RS mediating especially the adverse effects of an avoidant attachment attitude on RS. These findings might prove as important starting point for the psychotherapeutic treatment of intimate interpersonal problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)