Ego centered social network and relationship quality: linking attachment security and relational models to network structure

According to Dunbar's social brain hypothesis, brain capacity puts a limit on the size of social network in humans. At the same time, emotional-cognitive systems such as attachment and different relational models (Fiske, 1991) may also act as driving forces behind network structure underlying relationship quality of the various ego-centered layers. The aim of our study was to examine how these cognitive systems may contribute to network organization. We examined the two inner layers of the ego-network in 274 volunteers, the support and sympathy groups, as well as close family members in comparison to friends within the support group, in terms of attachment security and underlying relational models.