| Introduced by Jonathan Bowlby in the early 1960s, attachment theory seeks to explain an individual's depth of bonding with others throughout one's life. Attachment styles can affect family life, life interactions, career choices, friendships, relationships, marriage, and parenting (Turner, 2005). Attachment theory is composed of four different attachment styles. These four attachment styles are the autonomous or secure attachment style, the dismissive or avoidant attachment style, the preoccupied or ambivalent attachment style, and the fearful or disorganized attachment style. Each attachment style has a positive or negative view of self and a positive or negative view of others (Lopez, 2002).;The purpose of this study was to examine how attachment styles and acculturation impacted the life satisfaction of Christian Asian Indians and to investigate the influence of gender among Christian Asian Indians on life satisfaction. This study described the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors about attachment styles, acculturation, and life satisfaction for a Christian Asian population. A descriptive research design was utilized for this study, specifically through the use of surveys. Participants completed four instruments: the Parent-Adult Attachment Survey Questionnaire (P-AASQ), the Asian American Values Scale-Multidimensional (AAVS-M), the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a demographic form. The independent variables in this study included attachment styles, acculturation, conformity to norms (acculturation subscore), family recognition through achievement (acculturation subscore), and gender. The dependent variable in this study was life satisfaction.;Ten hypotheses were tested during the data analysis. The data analysis indicated that one of the ten hypotheses to be found to be significant. Based on the findings of this study, it is clear that parental attachment styles are a key factor in the life satisfaction of Christian Asian Indians. There are strong implications for counselor and counselor educators as they work with this population, especially within educational and family therapy settings. With the increase in Asian Americans, specifically Asian Indians immigrating to and living in the United States, it is essential for counselors and counselor educators to be aware of how attachment styles and acculturation affect the life satisfaction of Christian Asian Indians. |
