Attachment and delayed gratification in the technological age

Advanced modern communications technology, particularly cell phones and their increasingly popular text messaging capability, allow instant and constant contact between partners. As a result, interpersonal interactions have become imbued with an immediacy and connectedness unrelated to physical proximity. Instant access and immediate gratification, as the new norm or expectation in interpersonal interactions, are bound to have an impact on relationships as well as one's ability to exercise self-control and delay gratification. This impact was presumed to be markedly greater for individuals whose first romantic relationships were navigated with texting. This study offers an empirical examination of the relationship between romantic attachment, ability to delay gratification, self-control, and generation. Its aim is to begin to address several research questions: Is our attachment in a romantic relationship less secure as a result of 24-hour access to our partner? Is it likely that growing up with the instant gratification afforded by modern technology impairs one's ability to delay gratification and exercise self-control? Are text checking and responding fair measures of the ability to delay gratification? Finally, do generation and romantic attachment style predict the ability to delay gratification and exercise self-control? While this study does not demonstrate causality, it does reveal that the level of attachment anxiety is higher among members of the Net Generation than their Non-Net counterparts. However, the study does not allow one to conclude that modern technology is responsible for any decrement in attachment anxiety. Neither does it mean that modern communications technology has no impact on one's ability to delay gratification or exercise self-control. Rather, this study suggests that these constructs are relatively stable and perhaps immune from environmental influences such as advanced technological communications. Additionally, while text checking appears to have a moderate negative relationship with the ability to exercise self-control, text responding is not a fair measure of one's ability to delay gratification or exercise self-control. Explanations for these findings and their implications for counseling psychology are discussed.