Avoidant Attachment: Sex Differences

Starting from Bowlby’s pioneering works (1969), attachment theory has undergone countless revisitations to the extent that numerous categorical and dimensional conceptualizations have been proposed over this time (e.g., Jewell et al., 2019; Ravitz et al., 2010). In order to integrate these different approaches, some authors have pointed out that the different attachment conceptualizations proposed could be attributed to two higher order dimensions, namely, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance (Brennan et al., 1998). In particular, avoidant attachment is characterized by fear of intimacy and discomfort with closeness (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016). Individuals with avoidant attachment tend to establish and maintain independence, control, and autonomy, as well as psychological and emotional distance from significant others (e.g., parents and partners), especially during times of stress or threat (Cassidy & Kobak, 1988).