Attachment Styles
Four patterns of relating in relationships — Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, and Fearful-Avoidant — developed in childhood and affecting adult romantic and interpersonal bonds.
Attachment theory, originally developed by John Bowlby (1969) and Mary Ainsworth (1978) for child-parent bonds, has been extensively applied to adult romantic relationships by Hazan & Shaver (1987).
The four adult attachment styles are: Secure (~55% of people) — comfortable with intimacy and independence; Anxious/Preoccupied (~20%) — craves closeness, fears abandonment, needs frequent reassurance; Avoidant/Dismissive (~25%) — values independence, uncomfortable with closeness, suppresses emotions; Fearful-Avoidant/Disorganized (~5%) — desires closeness but fears it, oscillates between approach and withdrawal.
Attachment style significantly predicts relationship satisfaction, communication patterns, and conflict behavior. While attachment patterns form in childhood, they can change through secure relationships and therapy. Understanding your attachment style is one of the most useful frameworks for improving relationships.
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