He attachment concept It refers to the emotional bond that people establish with their parents or caregiver figures in childhood, which will influence the relationship with their environment throughout their lives. There are different ones (safe, anxious, avoidant and disorganized) that determine, each in a different way, said relationship.
Insecure attachment styles (both anxious and avoidant) appear as a factor in the development of certain psychopathologies. Among others, anxiety and depression, addictive behaviors, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). We are going to focus this article on the relationship of insecure attachment with this last disorder.
What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
This is the name given to a chronic disorder of intense anxiety, which presents recurrent obsessions or compulsions that consume excessive time, are experienced with profound discomfort and interfere, causing problems and deteriorating the daily lives of people who suffer from it. For example, there may be an exaggerated concern for order, perfectionism, cleanliness or control, which leaves no room for flexibility. Often, obsessions can focus on themes, such as aggression, sexuality, religion, illness…
It usually manifests itself in adolescence. Keep in mind that attachment style is only one factor in the development of this disorder, which, in addition to the environment, is influenced by genetic factors, brain biology, etc.
Implications of insecure attachment in the construction of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
He insecure attachment It is characterized by poor emotional regulation, both in its anxious and avoidant forms. This pattern is formed in people who have not enjoyed emotional availability from their parents, who have not been able to respond to their needs, who have directly ignored them, or who have had chaotic and unstable relationships.
The increase of the psychopathological vulnerability related to OCD In people with an anxious attachment pattern, it occurs mainly through three processes:
- emotional dysregulation
- Hypervigilance to threats
- Feeling of incomprehension and lack of adaptation
The theory, corroborated by various research, indicates that people with anxious attachment use hyperactive attachment strategies and regulate their emotions through attention, attachment and control.
Poor emotional regulation, which prevents stability, can contribute to the development of OCD. The anxious attachment system can increase disposition to compulsion As a way to restore security, pay attention to intrusive thoughts that can become obsessions.
The anxious attachment style also presents difficulty in eliminating negative and threatening thoughts, which are constant in OCD.
However, some research has presented a greater correlation of avoidant attachment style with obsession. In this case, the attachment style has evolved through inhibition and emotional distance, a limited emotional world in which children have not seen their needs met, they have felt rejected. And, consequently, behaviors of rejection of intimacy, isolation and cognitive distortions are generated. The situation of loneliness is frequently experienced with stress and can also lead to the development of obsessions to try to fill that void, which will lead to compulsions.
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