Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Building off of John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment—the central premise that our early attachments with our parental figures shape our relationships for the rest of our lives— researchers Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver examined his ideas in the context of adult romantic relationships. More specifically, they noted parallels between infant-caregiver relationships and adult romantic relationships, such as both feel safe when the other is nearby and responsive but insecure when the other is inaccessible.

Given these and many other similarities, the researchers argued that adult romantic relationships could also be attachment processes. In their original study, they created a questionnaire to measure attachment styles—differences that best described individuals’ attitudes towards others in close relationships. The types—secure, avoidant, and anxious-resistant—were essentially the adult analogues of what Mary Ainsworth identified in her research with infants.

With this three-category measure, they found that 60% of adults classified themselves as secure, 20% were avoidant, and about 20% were anxious-resistant. However, rather than being of a certain attachment type, other researchers add