Editing Attachment theory (section)

=== Dismissive-avoidant ===

Dismissive-avoidant adults desire a high level of independence, often appearing to avoid attachment altogether.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pettigrew |first=Thomas F. |date=2016-01-04 |title=In Pursuit of Three Theories: Authoritarianism, Relative Deprivation, and Intergroup Contact |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033327 |journal=Annual Review of Psychology |language=en |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033327 |pmid=26361053 |s2cid=207668034 |issn=0066-4308}}</ref> They view themselves as self-sufficient, invulnerable to attachment feelings and not needing close relationships.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aluisy |first=Ana |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/974240408 |title=Reinvent your relationship. A Therapist's Insights to having the Relationship You've Always Wanted |date=2016 |publisher=Morgan James Publishing |isbn=978-1-63047-896-4 |location=[United States] |oclc=974240408}}</ref> They tend to suppress their feelings, dealing with conflict by distancing themselves from partners of whom they often have a poor opinion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zahra |first=Fatima Tu |date=2022-10-06 |title=Attachment Security and Attachment Styles in Romantic Relationships |url=https://acspublisher.com/journals/index.php/sajssh/article/view/2662 |journal=South Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=42–53 |doi=10.48165/sajssh.2022.3504 |s2cid=252863935 |issn=2582-7065|doi-access=free }}</ref> Adults lack the interest of forming close relationships and maintaining emotional closeness with the people around them. They have a great amount of distrust in others, but at the same time possess a positive model of self; they would prefer to invest in their own ego skills. They try to create high levels of self-esteem by investing disproportionately in their abilities or accomplishments. These adults maintain their positive views of self, based on their personal achievements and competence rather than searching for and feeling acceptance from others. These adults will explicitly reject or minimize the importance of emotional attachment and passively avoid relationships when they feel as though they are becoming too close. They strive for self-reliance and independence. When it comes to the opinions of others about themselves, they are very indifferent and are relatively hesitant to internalize positive feedback from their peers. Dismissive avoidance is considered to be the result of defensive deactivation and disconnection to avoid potential rejection, and is in some cases amplified by a genuine disinterest in social connection.<ref name="No Man Is an Island: The Need to Be">{{cite journal | last1 = Carvallo | first1 = Mauricio | last2 = Gabriel | first2 = Shira | year = 2006 | title = No Man Is an Island: The Need to Belong and Dismissing Avoidant Attachment Style | journal = PsycEXTRA Dataset | volume =  32| issue = 5| pages = 697–709 | doi = 10.1037/e511092014-160 | pmid = 16702161 }}</ref>

Adults with dismissive-avoidant patterns are less likely to seek social support than other attachment styles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lopez |first1=F. G. |title=Oxford handbook of positive psychology |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-986216-0 |pages=(pp. 405–415) |url=https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-05143-038 |access-date=29 March 2023}}</ref> They are likely to fear intimacy and lack confidence in others.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hazen, C. & Shaver, P. |title=Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |date=1987 |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=511–524 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511|pmid=3572722 |s2cid=2280613 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Collins, N. L., & Read, S. J. |title=Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |date=1990 |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=644–663 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.58.4.644|pmid=14570079 |s2cid=3143987 }}</ref> Because of their distrust they cannot be convinced that other people have the ability to deliver emotional support.<ref name="No Man Is an Island: The Need to Be"/> Under a high cognitive load, however, dismissive-avoidant adults appear to have a lowered ability to suppress difficult attachment-related emotions, as well difficulty maintaining positive self-representations.<ref name="Attachment-Related Strategies Durin">{{cite journal |last1=Mikulincer, M., Dolev, T., & Shaver, P. R. |title=Attachment-Related Strategies During Thought Suppression: Ironic Rebounds and Vulnerable Self-Representations. |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |date=2004 |volume=87 |issue=6 |pages=940–956 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.87.6.940|pmid=15598116 }}</ref> This suggests that hidden vulnerabilities may underlie an active denial process.<ref name="Attachment-Related Strategies Durin"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown, D. P., & Elliott, D. S. |title=Attachment disturbances in adults: Treatment for comprehensive repair |date=2016 |publisher=W W Norton & Co. |page=111 |edition=1}}</ref>