ABSTRACT
John Bowlby's original attachment hypothesis implied that children's early attachment experiences provided an inner working model in adult love relationships. Individuals with an ambivalent attachment style swing between the neediness of the preoccupied and the aloofness of the avoidant, so their partners are never really sure where they stand in the relationship. Poor sexual functioning reinforces his sense of personal inadequacy, which, in turn, reinforces his fear of the loss of the relationship. J. F. Kinzl and B. Mangweth report that aversive family attachment relationships are more influential to later sexual dysfunctions than childhood sexual abuse. There is an interaction effect between the attachment style of the elderly person and the attachment style of the care-giver, showing how attachment styles still have an effect on familial and social relationships. Secure adults take bereavement in their stride, whereas insecure adults will start activating their attachment systems.
