RESEARCH - Avoidant Attachment in Adult Origin

Attachment theory

In the 1950s, the theory was formulated by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby.

The period of infant

Attach to adults who are sensitive and responsive in social interactions with them.

About six months to two years of age

Attach to adults who remain as consistent caregivers.

During the latter part after two years old

Use attachment figures (familiar people) as a secure base to explore from and return to.

In the 1960s and 70s, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth developed a theory of a number of attachment patterns in infants.

She introduced the concept of the "secure base" and developed a theory of a number of attachment patterns in infants: secure attachment, avoidant attachment and anxious attachment.

In the 1980s, the theory was extended to attachments in adults by Hazan and Shaver.

Hazan and Shaver noticed that interactions between adults were similar to interactions between children and caregivers. For example, romantic or platonic partners desire to be close to one another, similar to how children desire to be close to their caregivers.

1990s Bartholomew and Horowitz have proposed that working models consist of two parts. One part deals with thoughts about the self and the other deals with thoughts about others.

1998 Brennan et al. found twelve specific-construct factors which, when factored, formed two more global factors--45-degree rotations of the familiar dimensions of Anxiety and Avoidance. This forms the two-di- mensional model of individual differences in adult attachment. At the same time, they developed a 36-item self-report attachment measure, Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR). based on the most of the existing self-report measures of adult romantic attachment.

ECR questionnaire：

http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/measures/ecl.html

In 2000, Fraley, Waller and Bren- nan developed Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-R), The ECR-R is a 36-item self-report attachment measure, which is an improvement on ECR, and this questionnaire can basi- cally be used as a measurement tools for adult attachment styles.

ECR-R questionnaire：

http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/measures/ecrr.htm