How you attach to other adults strongly corresponds with how you attached to others as a child. Four distinct styles of attachment have been identified — and perhaps recognizing yourself in one of them is the first step toward strengthening your relationships. Show
The four child/adult attachment styles are:
Adults with these attachment styles differ in a number of significant ways:
There are three primary, underlying dimensions that characterize attachment styles and patterns. The first dimension is closeness, meaning the extent to which people feel comfortable being emotionally close and intimate with others. The second is dependence/avoidance, or the extent to which people feel comfortable depending on others and having partners depend on them. The third is anxiety, or the extent to which people worry their partners will abandon and reject them. The outline below describes four adult attachment styles regarding avoidance, closeness and anxiety — and prototypical descriptions of each. Secure: Low on avoidance, low on anxiety. Comfortable with intimacy; not worried about rejection or preoccupied with the relationship. “It is easy for me to get close to others, and I am comfortable depending on them and having them depend on me. I don’t worry about being abandoned or about someone getting too close to me.” Avoidant: High on avoidance, low on anxiety. Uncomfortable with closeness and primarily values independence and freedom; not worried about partner’s availability. “I am uncomfortable being close to others. I find it difficult to trust and depend on others and prefer that others do not depend on me. It is very important that I feel independent and self-sufficient. My partner wants me to be more intimate than I am comfortable being.” Anxious: Low on avoidance, high on anxiety. Crave closeness and intimacy, very insecure about the relationship. “I want to be extremely emotionally close (merge) with others, but others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I often worry that my partner doesn’t love or value me and will abandon me. My inordinate need for closeness scares people away. Anxious and Avoidant: High on avoidance, high on anxiety. Uncomfortable with intimacy, and worried about partner’s commitment and love. “I am uncomfortable getting close to others, and find it difficult to trust and depend on them. I worry I will be hurt if I get close to my partner.” The outline below explains the four adult attachment styles; the behavioral, cognitive and social aspects of each style; and the way in which they differ regarding closeness, dependency, avoidance and anxiety. It is common for adults to have a combination of traits rather than fit into just one style. Autonomous (Secure):
Dismissive (Avoidant)
Preoccupied (Anxious)
Unresolved (Disorganized)
Attachment patterns are passed down from one generation to the next. Children learn how to connect from parents and caregivers, and they in turn teach the next generation. Your attachment history plays a crucial role in determining how you relate in adult romantic relationships, and how you relate to your children. However, it is not what happened to you as a child that matters most — it is how you deal with it. Many people go from victim to overcomer. Which of the following is likely to be an important factor in connecting attachment?Which of the following is likely to be an important factor in connecting attachment style with later functioning? consistency in care giving. According to Chess and Thomas, a child who has a low activity level, is somewhat negative, and displays low intensity moods is characterized as: slow-to-warm-up.
What is an important factor in attachment as demonstrated?What is an important factor in attachment as demonstrated by Harry Harlow's experiment with monkeys? Infants develop a simple mental model of the caregiver, their relationship, and the self as deserving of nurturing care. This is known as a(n): internal working model of attachment.
What is the crucial element in attachment?Contact comfort is the crucial element in the attachment process.
Which of the following is more characteristic of love in a mature relationship then in a new relationship?Which of the following is more characteristic of love in a mature relationship than in a new relationship? Physical attraction.
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