The handbook of solitude: Psychological perspectives on social isolation, social withdrawal, and being alone

Abstract

Attachment theory has become one of the leading approaches to conceptualizing and studying interpersonal behavior and the quality of close relationships. In this chapter we explore the relevance of attachment theory for understanding individual differences in loneliness, and we propose specific attachment-relevant cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that can explain these differences. We begin with a brief summary of attachment theory and an account of the two major dimensions of adult attachment orientations, attachment anxiety and avoidance. We then review evidence concerning the associations between these dimensions and loneliness, proposing that the associations are mediated by attachment-related cognitive-motivational mechanisms. Next we review studies of the ways in which attachment orientations contribute to a person’s goal structures, mental representations of self and others, and mental scripts concerning interpersonal transactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)