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Attachment in adulthood

During adolescence and adulthood, individuals usually begin to develop attachments to their sexual partners. These attachments may become the most central in the adult's life.

Attachment style has some continuity over the life course, but it can be revised in one of two ways:

Towards security if positive events occur in the organisation of the attachment system

Towards insecurity if negative events interfere with the organization of the attachment system

Several secure attachments improve the functioning of

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There tends to be an intergenerational transmission of attachment.

Adult attachment styles

Secure attachment

Dependence on others is comfortable
Confidence that others will be there when I need them
Lack of fear of abandonment

Ambivalent insecure attachment

Uncertainty about trusting that others will be there when I need them
Fear of being abandoned by my partner, of not really being loved by my partner
Desire to merge completely, which can sometimes scare the other person; feeling that others are reluctant to be as close as I would like

Avoidant insecure attachment

Difficulty allowing oneself to depend on others and trusting completely
Feeling that people are never there when you need them
Discomfort with closeness and intimacy, desire for intimacy less than that of the partner

Some people will exhibit characteristics of both ambivalent insecure attachment (sometimes called anxious insecure attachment) and avoidant insecure attachment.

Intensity of attachment

The intensity of attachment behaviours does not represent the intensity of the bond. Rather, it is demonstrated by penetration, the dimension of the relationship that describes the centrality of one person in the life of another (e.g., living together, shared friends, shared time). Over time, the relationship with the parent penetrates fewer aspects of the child's life as he or she grows up, in favor of friendships and romantic relationships.

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