| Abstract: | Argues that, in adult relationships, insecure attachments reflect strategies for managing a greater level of narcissistic vulnerability than exists in secure attachment. Attachment theory (AT) has traditionally emphasized adaptive responses in the child–parent relationship. However, researchers have applied AT to adult love relationships. Both the child literature and the adult literature have explored individual differences in attachment behavior and have identified stylistic categories of secure and insecure attachments. Although the insecure categories are characterized by overt behavior that appears quite different (i.e., clinging vs distance), in adult relationships where attachment is reciprocal, these stylistic patterns may achieve a similar function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
