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Attachment Style Inside of a Power Exchange Dynamic
Recent studies have begun to investigate the roles that these attachment styles take in identity in BDSM. Understanding the type of attachment style you have can help you work toward a secure attachment style, as well as create long-term, balanced, stable relationships.
Attachment theory is a psychology theory developed by John Bowlby that seeks to explain how humans form emotional bonds in infancy and how that bonding style affects long-term human behavior. There are four different attachment styles that categorize how emotions are experienced, expressed, and regulated. Three of these attachment styles are considered dysregulated, and the fourth is a secure attachment style.
Avoidant attachment is usually developed when the main caregiver doesn’t show care beyond providing essentials, often being emotionally unavailable or rejecting a child’s bid for interaction. People with this attachment style tend to distance themselves from emotional intimacy, preferring to over prioritize independence over close relationships. They may minimize their own feelings, avoid situations that make them feel vulnerable, and disconnect with loved ones in times of stress.
Those with an anxious attachment style, on the other hand, tend to fear abandonment and seek a great deal of closeness and reassurance. They may experience a feeling of anxiety or insecurity when their partner is unavailable or distant, seeking constant validation and reassurance. This type of attachment can develop from…