Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Researchers Hazan and Shaver identified key parallels between infant-caregiver and adult romantic relationships. Both involve feeling safe when the other is nearby and responsive, and both create insecurity when the other is inaccessible. These similarities led researchers to propose that adult romantic relationships function as attachment processes, with the same three attachment styles—secure, avoidant, and anxious-resistant—observed in infants appearing in adults.

Adult attachment patterns are represented along two dimensions: attachment-related anxiety and attachment-related avoidance. Anxiety reflects worry about partner availability and attentiveness, ranging from high worry to secure confidence. Avoidance reflects comfort with intimacy and interdependence, ranging from high discomfort to low avoidance. These dimensions vary independently, creating different attachment profiles beyond the three categorical types.

Secure attachment involves scoring low on both anxiety and avoidance dimensions. Securely attached individuals do not worry about rejection or abandonment and actively seek closeness and support from their romantic partners. They experience numerous positive relationship outcomes, including high satisfaction, relationship longevity, and mutual support during distress. Secure adults typically recall their childhood relationships with parents as affectionate and accepting.

High attachment-related anxiety manifests as worry about partner availability and responsiveness. High attachment-related avoidance manifests as discomfort with intimacy and reluctance to rely on or open up to partners. Low anxiety indicates confidence in partner responsiveness, while low avoidance indicates comfort with closeness. These dimensions operate independently, so individuals can be high or low on either dimension.

Yes, there is modest overlap between attachment security across different relationships. Adults who feel secure with romantic partners may not feel equally secure with parents or friends, and vice versa. This suggests attachment patterns are not fixed across all relationships and there is room for change depending on the specific relationship context and the responsiveness of different attachment figures.

In their original questionnaire study, Hazan and Shaver found that 60% of adults classified themselves as secure, 20% were avoidant, and approximately 20% were anxious-resistant. These percentages mirror the distribution of attachment styles observed in infants by Mary Ainsworth, suggesting that attachment patterns remain relatively stable from childhood into adulthood.

The dimensional model represents adult attachment using two independent axes—anxiety and avoidance—rather than three fixed categories. This approach captures greater variation in attachment patterns and allows for more nuanced understanding of individual differences. Most variation in attachment reports falls within these two fundamental dimensions, with levels varying from high to low, providing a more flexible framework than categorical classification. Understanding these dimensions helps explain why relationship formation and maintenance depend on individual attachment profiles.