Abstract: There has been increasing interest in adult attachment from both the Development/Clinic and the Social/Personality approaches. This paper examines the theoretical and methodological assumption of these alternative perspectives. From the view of Social /Personality psychology, the paper provides a review of studies on social cognition and affect regulation, focusing on internal working models and regulation strategies of different attachment types respectively. Moreover, the paper presents the contributions of adult attachment style to the target and belief, communication and self-disclosure, attribution and conflict resolution, support seeking and caregiving in close relationships. Finally, potential areas for future research and development in this field are suggested.

Key words: adult attachment, social cognition, affect regulation, intimate relationship