Exploring Adult Attachment: A Look at 26, 000 Interviews

Imagine this: since 1985, over 26, 000 people have been interviewed for the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). That's a lot of stories and experiences shared! Scientists have spent around 170 years worth of work to code and analyze these interviews. They compared results from different cultural backgrounds, age groups, and even between mothers, fathers, and those with high-risk or clinical issues.

In North America, among non-clinical, non-risk mothers, the stats were: 22% were dismissing (not very open about feelings), 53% were secure (comfortable with emotions), 8% were preoccupied (overly focused on relationships), and 17% had unresolved losses or traumas. Males tended to be more dismissing and less secure than females, except for adoptive fathers. Women, on the other hand, were more often classified as unresolved, but not more preoccupied. Interestingly, people with borderline personality disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and gender dysphoria shared high scores on being preoccupied and unresolved. Those with anxiety problems, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and thought disorders had high scores on being dismissing and unresolved.

Actions