Editing Attachment theory (section)

=== Fearful-avoidant ===

Fearful-avoidant adults have mixed feelings about close relationships, both desiring and feeling uncomfortable with emotional closeness. The dangerous part about the contrast between wanting to form social relationships while simultaneously fearing the relationship is that it creates mental instability. This mental instability then translates into mistrusting the relationships they do form and also viewing themselves as unworthy. Furthermore, fearful-avoidant adults also have a less pleasant outlook on life compared to anxious-preoccupied and dismissive avoidant groups.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dan |first=O |date=2020 |title=The relationship between individuals with fearful-avoidant adult attachment orientation and early neural responses to emotional content: An event-related potentials (ERPs) study. |url=https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-66179-001 |journal=Neuropsychology |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=155–167 |doi=10.1037/neu0000600 |pmid=31682140 |s2cid=207891295 |via=APA PsychArticles|url-access=subscription }}</ref>  Like dismissive-avoidant adults, fearful-avoidant adults tend to seek less intimacy, suppressing their feelings.<ref name="Hazan, Shaver, 1987"/><ref name="Hazan, Shaver,1990">{{cite journal |vauthors=Hazan C, Shaver PR |s2cid=53487697 |year=1990 |title=Love and work: An attachment theoretical perspective |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-personality-and-social-psychology_1990-08_59_2/page/270 |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=59 |issue=2 |pages=270–80 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.59.2.270}}</ref><ref name="Hazan, Shaver,1994">{{cite journal |vauthors=Hazan C, Shaver PR |year=1994 |title=Attachment as an organizational framework for research on close relationships |journal=Psychological Inquiry |volume=5 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.1207/s15327965pli0501_1}}</ref><ref name="BarthoHoro">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bartholomew K, Horowitz LM | s2cid = 3547883 | title = Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-personality-and-social-psychology_1991-08_61_2/page/226 | journal = Journal of Personality and Social Psychology | volume = 61 | issue = 2 | pages = 226–44 | date = August 1991 | pmid = 1920064 | doi = 10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226 }}</ref>

According to research studies, an individual with a fearful avoidant attachment might have had childhood trauma or persistently negative perceptions and actions from their family members. Apart from these, genetic factors and personality may also have an impact on how an individual behaves with parents as well as how they understand their relationships in their adulthood.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-28 |title=What is a fearful avoidant attachment? |url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/fearful-avoidant-attachments |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=www.medicalnewstoday.com |language=en}}</ref>