This chapter examines attachment styles as a spectrum rather than strict categories, highlighting the complexities of anxious and avoidant behaviors in adult relationships. It discusses how many individuals experience moderate insecurity and contrasts the characteristics of various attachment styles, including the secure attachment prevalent in about 60% of people. The conversation encourages a nuanced understanding of attachment, challenging oversimplified narratives and promoting self-awareness and personal growth.
Attachment theory is a foundation of modern psychology — a framework for understanding human relationships and how we connect other people.
But has social media taken this concept — grounded in decades of research — too far?
Scroll through Instagram or TikTok for too long, and you might think that if you have a certain attachment style, you're fundamentally unlovable — or that you need to steer clear of people who are avoidant, anxious or not secure enough.
Today, what we get wrong about attachment styles. Plus, the experiments that helped discover them in the first place ... and how a better understanding of attachment could help us to heal.
If you liked this episode, you'll love our episode on when to trust your gut instinct and when to ignore it.