ABSTRACT
Attachment insecurity is associated with low levels of trust, self-disclosure and satisfaction, and high levels of conflict and tension in peer relationships, including friendships. A very helpful way of maintaining friendships in good repair without having too much face-to-face contact is to use methods such as text messaging. Friendships are really worth working at, they are important for sense of belonging and commitment to a community and they have even been shown to influence loyalty to workplace. John Bowlby envisaged a ‘care-giving behavioural system’ in adults as a corollary of the ‘attachment behavioural system’ in children. Indeed, one research study found that anxious attachment is associated with high expressions of negative emotions towards siblings. A sibling who has developed an anxious attachment style, though, is more likely to increase health professional’s tendency to distance. As early as primary school, friends become important to our well-being and begin to replace our primary attachment figures in some situations.
