An Attachment-Theory Framework for Conceptualizing Interpersonal Behavior

Bowlby's attachment theory, one of the leading approaches to studying close relationships, postulates a set of behavioral systems such as attachment, exploration, caregiving, and sex, which humans share to some extent with nonhuman primates. Although the systems are assumed to be innate, they are modifiable by social experiences, resulting in individual differences in attachment style. This chapter explains the theory and the two dimensions of attachment style: anxiety and avoidance. It reviews evidence of associations between the two dimensions and various aspects of interpersonal behavior, showing that these associations are mediated by personal goals and goal structures, mental representations of self and others, implicit relational scripts, and biases in social information processing.