In this paper the development of cross-cultural research on attachment is discussed. It is argued that the universality hypothesis cannot be disproved by findings of divergent attachment classification distributions in cross-cultural studies. Furthermore, the search for a culture-free procedure to measure attachment may not be a fruitful strategy to establish the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory. Cross-cultural research should focus on testing theoretical predictions derived from attachment theory, especially the responsiveness hypothesis and the competence hypothesis. Paradoxically, ‘falsifying’ outcomes of cross-cultural studies may be ascribed either to general validity problems or more specifically to a lack of cross-cultural validity.

Keywords:
Attachment, Cross-cultural methodology, Cross-cultural research, Cross-cultural validity, Culture-specific aspects, ‘Strange Situation’ procedure, Imposed etic validity
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© 1990 S. Karger AG, Basel
1990
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