What is Dismissive Avoidant Attachment Disorder and How Does it Impact Relationships?

What are the Traits of Dismissive Attachment Disorder?

Dismissive Avoidant Attachment is where individuals focus on keeping emotional distance from others due to a fear of building close relationships. This may look like the following:

1. Forming short term or casual relationships: A person with this attachment style may avoid building closer relationships and instead develop shorter term relationships.
2. Holding a negative view of relationships: Dismissive avoidant attachment can contribute to a negative opinion of relationships where the individual views those connections with distrust. 
3. Being distrustful of others: A dismissive avoidant individual may have difficulty building trust.
4. Focusing on maintaining independence and privacy: Individuals with dismissive avoidant attachment disorder may value their independence. They may prefer independent activities or alone time. The dismissive avoidant individuals may also want to protect their privacy.
5. Struggling to form new relationships- Dismissive avoidant disorder can make it difficult to form connections with new people.
6. Avoiding situations which makes the person feel vulnerable- Feeling vulnerable can be a trigger for dismissive avoidant behaviors. Individuals with the disorder may avoid situations that bring up those feelings.

What Triggers Dismissive Avoidant Attachment?

Experiences early in life can contribute to the development of dismissive avoidant attachment disorder. There are also various triggers which may lead to repetition of behaviors attributed to the disorder. 

What does Dismissive Avoidant Attachment Look Like in a Relationship?

Since dismissive avoidant attachment disorder affects how individuals form connections with others, it can have an impact on both partners within the relationship. Those challenges are listed below

What are the Causes?

Dismissive Avoidant Attachment Disorder can develop from experiences in childhood. Some causes are parental neglect. This includes being emotionally distant from a child or not addressing the child’s wants and needs.

 The attachment style also develops from a variety of other experiences such as:

1. Experiencing a death- A loss of a loved one can cause individuals to use dismissive avoidant behaviors to protect themselves from pain.

2.Trauma- A traumatic event may lead to a dismissive avoidant attachment style.

3.Divorce- Divorces can lead to distrust and negative attitudes in a relationship. 

 Other factors include family history and changes to the brain.

What are the Triggers?

Certain situations may trigger avoidant dismissive attachment style behaviors. These include:

1. Feeling vulnerable: If a person with dismissive avoidant feels vulnerable, they may use the behaviors for a sense of control.
2. Criticism: Criticism may cause a person to close themselves off from others.
3. Crossing boundaries- Crossing a person’s set boundaries may cause them to distance themselves from the relationship.
4. Traumatic experiences- Trauma can trigger dismissive avoidant responses.

What are the Challenges for a Dismissive Attachment Individual?

1. Difficulty Expressing Emotions: The dismissive-avoidant individual may have a hard time expressing their emotions and communicating with their partner.

2. Struggles with Vulnerability: Since individuals with dismissive avoidant attachment styles dislike feeling vulnerable, they may put up walls with their partner.

3. Patterns of Avoiding Close Relationships: A dismissive-avoidant individual may avoid long term relationships. If a relationship becomes too close the individual may create distance. 

How does Dismissive Avoidant Attachment Affect Partners?

1. Feeling ignored or Unimportant: A partner in a dismissive avoidant relationship may feel ignored because of the distant nature of the relationship.

2. Miscommunication:  Since dismissive avoidant individuals may struggle communicating with their partners it can lead to misunderstandings.

3. Emotional Impact: The changes in the relationship and lack of emotional connection can lead to highs and lows for the partner.

Understanding the effect of dismissive attachment on relationships can help build healthier connections. For more resources and information on the topic reach out to a relationship counselor. 

How to Heal a Dismissive Attachment Disorder?

There are a variety of tools a dismissive attachment individual can use to create healthier relationships. 

1. Practice Self-Care: Developing a strong self-care routine can help individuals with Dismissive Attachment Disorder. Self-care can allow for a healthier expression of emotions

2. Identify triggers and responses: Once a dismissive avoidant individual is aware of what triggers avoidant behaviors for them, they can work on creating coping tools.

3.Learn about the attachment styles: Gaining a higher level of understanding of the attachment styles can help the individual identify his or her responses.

4. Seek Professional help: A trained mental health professional can provide more information and tools to help with dismissive avoidant behaviors. Individual therapy can provide unique care to meet your needs. Relationship counseling can help partners address concerns and grow closer in their relationship.

   A dismissive attachment style can influence your ability to form connections and long-term relationships with others. Tools such as practicing self-care, knowing your triggers, and seeking help from a mental health professional can help individuals with dismissive avoidance. These practices help with moving towards a secure attachment style and building closer relationships with others.

For more information or to talk with a therapist about dismissive attachment style disorder contact us today.

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