Introduction to attachment theory
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss. Hogarth P.; Institute of Psycho-Analysis.
Ainsworth, M. D., & Bell, S. M. (1970). Attachment, exploration, and separation: illustrated by the behavior of one-year-olds in a strange situation. Child Development, 41(1), 49–67.
Murray, C. V., Jacobs, J. I., Rock, A. J., & Clark, G. I. (2021). Attachment style, thought suppression, self-compassion and depression: Testing a serial mediation model. PloS One, 16(1), e0245056.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245056
Uccula, A., Mercante, B., Barone, L., & Enrico, P. (2022). Adult Avoidant Attachment, Attention Bias, and Emotional Regulation Patterns: An Eye-Tracking Study. Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 13(1), 11.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13010011
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226.
Introduction
Initially, research on attachment styles primarily concentrated on children, but these behavioral studies also illuminate some puzzling behaviors observed in adolescents and adults. For instance, abandoning a perfectly good relationship due to overwhelming uncertainty about the future, suddenly losing feelings for someone, and even rewriting past experiences as a way to cope are symptoms seen in adults with avoidant attachment tendencies. Often, it is the partners of avoidant individuals who experience a sudden upheaval in their relationship, especially since a quick withdrawal is typical behavior for avoidant individuals. The emotional turmoil can be so intense that even those with secure attachment styles may start to show anxious attachment behaviors; it's like a trauma response stemming from the betrayal of someone they care about. It's important to clarify that this manuscript is not meant to criticize individuals with avoidant attachment styles, but rather to explore the roots of this maladaptive style, its traits in adult romantic relationships, and its neurobiological characteristics.
Attachment theory was first mentioned by John Bowlby when he was studying the various circumstances that led infants and young children to show specific reactions depending on their upbringing (Bowlby, 1969). Concurrently, Ainsworth et al., conducted a study divided children and their attention styles on how the children interacted with their caregivers or people special to them (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970). The attachment theory is largely classified into four portions.
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The first, the secure attachment style, was characterized as showing resilience and patience in moments of adversity and uncertainty. The anxious attachment style, on the other hand, was quick to cry or panic in the absence of their caretaker’s presence. From a psychological perspective, anxious attachment is shown in children who display an upregulation of their emotions; that is, they show tendencies to gravitate toward emotions that elicited a response, and if they did not receive one, they then increased the magnitude of their emotions. For example, a child will start initially crying, but upon no response from a guardian figure, will start to cry louder and add physical interactions with the surroundings, such as slamming their foot or throwing objects.
The avoidant attachment style, in contrast, displays traits that are completely different from those of the anxious attachment style. Typically, the avoidant attachment style is marked by a withdrawal from the conflict source, which is usually the caregiver (Murray et al., 2021; Uccula et al., 2022). This is evident in the limited or nonexistent interaction with the caregiver. The reason a child develops this specific attachment style can be traced back to the caregiver's behavior towards them. If the child experiences emotional neglect or if their emotional needs are minimized, they might view the caregiver as someone who will ultimately let them down. Ongoing neglect of the child's desires or needs, particularly as they approach their teenage years, can result in the child exhibiting traits of hyper-independence, which reflects a deep-seated sense of betrayal (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991).
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