ABSTRACT
One particular study showed that attachment style affects the way we relate to our pets and found that this sometimes works differently from human-to-human relationships. People in the study who had an avoidant attachment style showed behaviours characteristic of an anxious style towards their pets. Having a secure attachment style is generally associated with good, pro-active health care behaviours and with lower levels of reported pain, whereas those of us with anxious, avoidant or disorganised attachment styles appear not to be so fortunate. Anxious, avoidant and disorganised attachment styles seem to be particularly prominent in people suffering from forms of psychosis and personality disorder. Insecure attachment is linked to difficulties with exploration of religious ideas. Although attachment figures are normally stronger and wiser than us, various research studies have shown that pets can act as a secure base, which effectively means they function as attachment figures.
