Originating in early caregiver–child interaction, anxious attachment exerts a lasting influence on adult interpersonal relations. Characterised by negative working model of self, intense desire for closeness, fear of abandonment and emotional hypervigilance shapes the quality and stability of intimate partnership and adult friendship. This review traces the development of attachment from infant–caregiver dynamics to its complex manifestations in adulthood. Drawing studies from 1990 to 2024 across major databases, including PsycNet, PubMed, Google Scholar and ResearchGate, reveals that, in intimate relationships, anxious attachment shows up as jealousy, hypervigilance to rejection and cycles of idolisation and devaluation. Although romantic relationships are extensively studied, its impact on non-romantic adult relationships remains underexplored. Current evidence highlighted key psychological mechanism across both domains but also points to an overemphasis on romantic dyads. The review calls for more methodologically diverse and culturally sensitive investigations to capture the dual role of anxious attachment in shaping adult social bonds and guiding future research directions in mental health.
Pal et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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