Avoidants are often overlooked because society values hyper-independenceĪccording to New York City-based therapist Rachel Wright, avoidant attachment is more misunderstood than anxious attachment because of society's focus on independence. 56% of people identify as secure, 23% as avoidant, and 20% as anxious. They're also the second-most common attachment style, according to self-reported data. Now that 'Attached' has been reintroduced into mainstream popularity, Levine says he would've written more about how others can understand avoidants, who are overwhelmed and shy away when they reach their threshold of emotional intimacy. Photographer Sarah Bahbah created a viral visual series inspired by what she learned from 'Attached.' There's a seemingly never-ending stream of content geared towards explaining how each style may manifest and why they happen in the first place. In the years since it was published, 'Attached' and attachment theory has become the subject of many videos and posts on Instagram and TikTok.

In the book, Levine and Heller outline this theory and the three main attachment styles: anxious, avoidant, and secure. ' Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment, and How It Can Help You Find - and Keep - Love,' by Levine and co-author psychologist Rachel Heller, was published in December 2010 after Levine saw a research study that linked adults' romantic relationship behaviors to their behaviors as children interacting with their parents. Amir Levine, a co-author of the book that popularized attachment theory, told the New York Times he'd tweak the book, which has sold 102,300 copies in 2021, to better explain the most misunderstood attachment style, avoidant attachment. It often indicates a user profile.Īttachment theory, or the idea that relationships with our caregivers as children impact our future connections, has found new life online, with an increasing amount of social media content surrounding the psychological concept.ĭr. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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