Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCharacteristicsHow to Recognize ItCausesTreatmentCopingFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Characteristics

How to Recognize It

Causes

Treatment

Coping

Frequently Asked Questions

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Anxious preoccupied attachment, also sometimes known simply as preoccupied attachment or anxious attachment, manifests as high anxiety about the relationships and connections in our lives.

Attachment stylesrefer to the emotions and behaviors an individual has around the significant relationships in their lives. We form an attachment style asyoung children, though these styles can change over time in response to life experiences, trauma, and treatment.

Research surrounding attachment styles is largely contributed to the work ofDr. Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist who studied how children’s attachment impacts their response to an unfamiliar situation.

If your attachment styleis anxious-preoccupied, you might have significant difficultytrustingpeople and have a strong fear of being rejected. Although you may desire close, intimate relationships, your anxiety about being abandoned can interfere with your ability to form these connections.

Signs of Dismissive Avoidant Attachment

Signs of Anxious Preoccupied Attachment

Individuals with an anxious preoccupied attachment style tend to havelow self-esteemand a negative view of themselves. They tend to see others as superior to them, and as such, they may tend to be reliant and dependent in relationships.

It is important to remember that, if you have a preoccupied attachment style, this does not mean that you are inferior to others. Instead, it means that youfeelthat you are inferior.

If you have an anxious preoccupied attachment style, you might have a strong need for close relationships, fear of abandonment and rejection, and difficulty trusting others. You might be overly in tune with others’ emotions and behaviors, and you may tend to jump to conclusions about your partner’s mood due to these fears.

If a child has an anxious preoccupied attachment style, they will likely cling to their parent or caregiver and can exhibit symptoms ofseparation anxiety. They may become very upset when the parent leaves them with another caretaker and might express fear that the parent will not return. Upon the parent’s return, they may immediately run to the parent for comfort.

Identifying Anxious Preoccupied Attachment

Although anxious preoccupied attachment is not an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), it can manifest as a symptom of some diagnoses, including:

Although attachment style does not definitively predict that an individual will develop a specific diagnosis, identifying your attachment style can help inform how you approach relationships and can aid in developing an appropriate treatment plan.

Causes of Anxious Preoccupied Attachment

Genetics

Stress and Trauma

Stressful ortraumaticevents can cause a child to develop an anxious preoccupied attachment style. If an infant experiences inconsistent responses from the caregiver, they will develop uncertainty and anxiety about whether their needs will be met.

If a parent is available and nurturing at times but unavailable at other times, this can bring about feelings of insecurity in the child because the child cannot understand or predict the parent’s behavior.

Parenting Behaviors

A child can also develop a preoccupied attachment style if parents are overprotective. The child can pick up on the parent’s anxiety and can become fearful that they are unsafe and need strong protection to avoid being harmed.

If an infant experiences inconsistent responses from the caregiver, they will develop uncertainty and anxiety about whether their needs will be met. If a parent is available and nurturing at times but unavailable at other times, this can bring about feelings of insecurity in the child because the child cannot understand or predict the parent’s behavior.

Adult Relationships

In adulthood, a person can develop traits of this attachment style if they experience this inconsistency from a romantic partner or friend. Partners who display inconsistent affection oremotionally abusivebehaviors can cause insecurity and anxiety around attachment.

Treatment for Preoccupied Attachment Style

People with an anxious preoccupied attachment style might struggle with relationships, emotions, and mental health as a result of their attachment style. However, research has shown that our attachment style can change throughout our lives in response to experiences and treatment.

If an individual with this attachment style has a diagnosable mental health condition, they can benefit from therapy services and other evidence-based treatments for that diagnosis.Attachment therapiescan specifically address maladaptive attachment styles.

Since attachment styles impact relationships, someone with a preoccupied attachment style who is in a long-term relationship can benefit fromcouples therapyto work on identifying their emotions and communicating with their partner in healthy ways.

Children and teens can benefit fromfamily therapyto create a healthier attachment to caregivers and other family members.Parent-child interaction therapyis a specific type of family therapy that promotes healthy attachment.

RecapResearch has shown that our attachment style can change throughout our lives in response to experiences and treatment.

Recap

Research has shown that our attachment style can change throughout our lives in response to experiences and treatment.

Coping With a Anxious Preoccupied Attachment

Identifying that you have a preoccupied attachment style is an important step in understanding your behaviors and emotions in your relationships. You can then use this knowledge to seek appropriate treatment andmake changes.

Anxious Ambivalent Attachment: An Overview

Frequently Asked QuestionsCharacteristics of an anxious preoccupied attachment include poor self-worth, a constant need for reassurance, excessive dependence on relationships, fear of rejection and abandonment, problems trusting partners, and hypersensitivity to the moods of others.While anxious preoccupied attachment can create problems, it is possible to heal and develop a more secure attachment style. Working to build health attachments, including with friends, family, and romantic partners can help people heal. Psychotherapy can be an important part of this process, so talk to a mental health professional about your treatment options.If someone you love has an anxious preoccupied attachment style, there are strategies you can use that may help. Focus on being consistent and dependable. Communicate your feelings clearly and be careful to avoid invalidating your partner’s emotions.

Characteristics of an anxious preoccupied attachment include poor self-worth, a constant need for reassurance, excessive dependence on relationships, fear of rejection and abandonment, problems trusting partners, and hypersensitivity to the moods of others.

While anxious preoccupied attachment can create problems, it is possible to heal and develop a more secure attachment style. Working to build health attachments, including with friends, family, and romantic partners can help people heal. Psychotherapy can be an important part of this process, so talk to a mental health professional about your treatment options.

If someone you love has an anxious preoccupied attachment style, there are strategies you can use that may help. Focus on being consistent and dependable. Communicate your feelings clearly and be careful to avoid invalidating your partner’s emotions.

Understanding Emotional Attachment and Whether Yours Is Healthy

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hashworth T, Reis S, Grenyer BFS.Personal agency in borderline personality disorder: the impact of adult attachment style.Front Psychol. 2021;12:669512.American Psychiatric Association. (2013).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(5th ed.).Conrad, R., Forstner, A.J., Chung, ML.et al.Significance of anger suppression and preoccupied attachment in social anxiety disorder: a cross-sectional study.BMC Psychiatry21, 116 (2021).Vismara L, Presaghi F, Bocchia M, Ricci RV, Ammaniti M.Attachment patterns in subjects diagnosed with a substance use disorder: a comparison of patients in outpatient treatment and patients in therapeutic communities.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:807.Fraley RC, Roisman GI.The development of adult attachment styles: four lessons.Current Opinion in Psychology. 2019;25:26-30.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hashworth T, Reis S, Grenyer BFS.Personal agency in borderline personality disorder: the impact of adult attachment style.Front Psychol. 2021;12:669512.American Psychiatric Association. (2013).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(5th ed.).Conrad, R., Forstner, A.J., Chung, ML.et al.Significance of anger suppression and preoccupied attachment in social anxiety disorder: a cross-sectional study.BMC Psychiatry21, 116 (2021).Vismara L, Presaghi F, Bocchia M, Ricci RV, Ammaniti M.Attachment patterns in subjects diagnosed with a substance use disorder: a comparison of patients in outpatient treatment and patients in therapeutic communities.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:807.Fraley RC, Roisman GI.The development of adult attachment styles: four lessons.Current Opinion in Psychology. 2019;25:26-30.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hashworth T, Reis S, Grenyer BFS.Personal agency in borderline personality disorder: the impact of adult attachment style.Front Psychol. 2021;12:669512.American Psychiatric Association. (2013).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(5th ed.).Conrad, R., Forstner, A.J., Chung, ML.et al.Significance of anger suppression and preoccupied attachment in social anxiety disorder: a cross-sectional study.BMC Psychiatry21, 116 (2021).Vismara L, Presaghi F, Bocchia M, Ricci RV, Ammaniti M.Attachment patterns in subjects diagnosed with a substance use disorder: a comparison of patients in outpatient treatment and patients in therapeutic communities.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:807.Fraley RC, Roisman GI.The development of adult attachment styles: four lessons.Current Opinion in Psychology. 2019;25:26-30.

Hashworth T, Reis S, Grenyer BFS.Personal agency in borderline personality disorder: the impact of adult attachment style.Front Psychol. 2021;12:669512.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(5th ed.).

Conrad, R., Forstner, A.J., Chung, ML.et al.Significance of anger suppression and preoccupied attachment in social anxiety disorder: a cross-sectional study.BMC Psychiatry21, 116 (2021).

Vismara L, Presaghi F, Bocchia M, Ricci RV, Ammaniti M.Attachment patterns in subjects diagnosed with a substance use disorder: a comparison of patients in outpatient treatment and patients in therapeutic communities.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:807.

Fraley RC, Roisman GI.The development of adult attachment styles: four lessons.Current Opinion in Psychology. 2019;25:26-30.

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