Why attachment theory is everywhere right now and how it can help you
Attachment theory, which categorizes human relationship styles based on early childhood bonds, has gained significant popularity on social media platforms like TikTok. The theory is increasingly used in pop culture to explain relationship dynamics and personal emotional struggles.
Why it matters
The mainstreaming of psychological frameworks helps individuals articulate relationship difficulties, though it also highlights the influence of social media on mental health literacy.
Image source, Lizzy Smith Image caption, Lizzy Smith says she used to see her difficulty with relationships as "completely unsolvable"
For Lizzy, relationships always seemed to end the same way. "I would get to a second or third date and find something wrong with them."
Just as things began to feel real, the connection she longed for would suddenly feel uncomfortable, even threatening. And she would pull away.
For years, she couldn't explain why - until she came across attachment theory.
And it was the description of a so-called fearful-avoidant - one of the four attachment styles - which felt strikingly familiar.
It describes someone who wants closeness, but worries that people in their life will eventually reject or abandon them.
"It was like I had found the missing piece to a puzzle that I've been trying to solve for years," Lizzy says.
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