The Child in the Family of a Drug-Using Father
Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner, Christine Huff Fewell in Impact of Substance Abuse on Children and Families, 2012
Research about individuals with the two insecure styles portrays them as less well equipped to cope with this difficult period. Persons with an avoidant attachment style tend to lack empathy and to undervalue the importance of close relationships. They distance themselves from the needs of others and avoid intimate relationships, which they find threatening (Belsky & Cassidy, 1994; Shaver & Hazan, 1994). Although they need to perceive and present themselves as highly self-reliant, they are extremely sensitive to rejection (Bartholomew, 1997; Belsky & Cassidy, 1994; Hazan & Shaver, 1994), deny feelings of distress and insecurity (Mikulincer & Nachson, 1991), and thus often harbor considerable and easily triggered rage (Rusbult, Verette, Whitney, Solvik, & Lipkus, 1991; Sharpsteen & Kirkpatrick, 1997). They are described as rigid, with a narrow response repertoire and poor conflict solving skills (Kobak & Hazan, 1991; Pistole, 1989).
Analysis with Psychological Defense Styles
Raymond H. Hamden in Psychology of Terrorists, 2018
A factor that stands out in many terrorist case profiles is the absence of a father during the terrorist’s childhood. It may also be that the father is present but is highly dismissive, emotionally unavailable, and physically abusive. The mother is often a woman with a weak personality, unable to bridge the gap between the father and child, and often resorts to being abusive herself. This results in the child developing an avoidant attachment style characterized by mistrust, wariness of caregivers and strangers, and suppression of desires of emotional warmth or affection (Renken et al., 1989). Lacking an attachment figure to rely on in times of distress, the child turns toward an alternate figure. In the terrorist’s case, this attachment figure is often a religious leader or God himself (Varvin & Volkan, 2003). A history of traumatic abuse also leads to self-victimization.
The Anxious Couple
Len Sperry, Katherine Helm, Jon Carlson in The Disordered Couple, 2019
In terms of adult attachment, secure attachment offers the opportunity for being comfortable and feeling worthy of being loved and close with others. Preoccupied attachment, or anxious ambivalent, is evident when an individual exhibits generally poor views of themselves but tends to idealize or only view the positive in those around them. These individuals tend to hold the belief they are unworthy of care and consideration from others, but acceptance and commitment are desired and pursued most vigorously (Marganska et al., 2013). Fearful avoidant attachment, however, is evident when an individual views both themselves and others as negative and sources of rejection and pain. These attachment patterns become clear depending on a person’s response to closeness; those with more anxious attachment tendencies dread abandonment, whereas those who demonstrate avoidant attachment are threatened by intimacy (Brumariu et al., 2013; Cusimano & Riggs, 2013; Marganska et al., 2013; Schimmenti & Bifulco, 2013).
Romantic Relationships in Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery: A Qualitative Content Analysis
Published in Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 2022
Thomas G. Kimball, Nicole D. Hune, Sterling T. Shumway, William Gerber, Spencer D. Bradshaw, Porter Macey
Specifically, adult attachment theory primarily focuses on two dimensions of insecurity: anxious and avoidant. Anxious attachment is defined as the way individuals “worry and ruminate about being rejected or abandoned by their partners” (Campbell, Simpson, Boldry, & Kashy, 2005, p. 511). Anxiety also involves excessive fear of interpersonal rejection or abandonment, which can be distressing when someone’s partner is unavailable (Wei, Russell, Mallinckrodt, & Vogel, 2007). Anxiously attached individuals tend to struggle with intimacy and closeness with others. Avoidant attachment, on the other hand, is described as evading and resisting romantic relationships in order to maintain independence from others (Li & Chan, 2012). Some suggest that those with high avoidance are less invested in relationships and are often emotionally and psychologically removed from romantic partners (Hazan & Shaver, 1994).
A kiss is not just a kiss: kissing frequency, sexual quality, attachment, and sexual and relationship satisfaction
Published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 2023
Dean M. Busby, Veronica Hanna-Walker, Chelom E. Leavitt
Avoidant attachment is a deactivation of the attachment system and is characterized by people trying to rely on themselves because they have learned that attachment figures are unreliable (Cassidy & Kobak, 1988). This manifests in romantic relationships by avoidant individuals wanting to distance themselves physically (Bogaert & Sadava, 2002; Gentzler & Kerns, 2004; Tracy, Shaver, Albino, & Cooper, 2003) and emotionally (Edelstein & Shaver, 2004) from their partner because they do not trust them (Fitzpatrick & Lafontaine, 2017). Due to this internal working model of mistrust, avoidant individuals have been observed to engage in less intimate behaviors with their romantic partners (Dillow, Goodboy, & Bolkan, 2014; Tucker & Anders, 1998). Owing to the potential relational purposes of kissing, it makes sense that someone who is avoidant would engage in less kissing than a secure individual because of their desire to shy away from relational bonds.
Structure and Measurement Invariance of Adult Romantic Attachment
Published in Journal of Personality Assessment, 2019
Jacob S. Gray, William L. Dunlop
Romantic attachment is a theory for explaining individual differences in affect, cognition, and behavior in the context of close relationships (Fraley & Shaver, 2000; Simpson & Rholes, 2012). This theory extends at least as far back as Bowlby's (1969) work on attachment in infancy. Subsequent research in this area posited three distinct attachment types: secure, avoidant, and anxious (Ainsworth, 1979; Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Infants high in secure attachment tend to use their caregiver as a source of comfort or a “safe base” from which to draw comfort and reassurance during times of distress (Ainsworth, 1979). Higher levels of avoidant attachment indicate that the infant is less likely to seek assurance or use the caregiver to help alleviate negative feelings during distress. Finally, anxious attachment indicates that the infant often makes conflicted attempts to seek care, which reflects an underlying uncertainty about the availability of a caregiver (Ainsworth, 1979; Ainsworth et al., 1978).
Related Knowledge Centers
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