Attachment Style and Spirituality as Determinants of People’s Love for Humanity

Abstract

The present study examined the role of attachment styles and spirituality in predicting love for humanity among adolescents, with attention to gender differences. A total of 180 adolescents were recruited from Amroha and Moradabad cities using purposive sampling. Participants completed standardized measures of love for humanity, attachment styles, and spirituality. Descriptive statistics revealed that female adolescents scored higher than males on love for humanity and spirituality, while males scored slightly higher on dismissive attachment. Regression analyses indicated that, for the overall sample, secure attachment and spirituality positively predicted love for humanity, whereas dismissive attachment was a negative predictor, accounting for 36.2% of the variance. When analyzed separately, the predictive model explained 26.2% of the variance among males and 42.8% among females, highlighting stronger predictive effects of secure attachment and spirituality for female adolescents. Fearful attachment, although correlated with love for humanity, did not emerge as a significant predictor in any model. The findings underscore the importance of fostering secure relational bonds and spiritual orientation to enhance adolescents’ prosocial attitudes and humanitarian values. Implications for educational and counseling interventions aimed at promoting empathy, compassion, and social responsibility are discussed.