Attachment avoidance predicts limited and selective sharing of personal events in close relationships

Abstract

Communicating personal experiences is crucial for fostering close relationships, but people can be reluctant to self‐disclose. The current research assessed the extent to which relationship‐specific (RS) and global attachment avoidance limit self‐disclosure of personal events in close relationships. Critically, we also identified the types of personal events that people will selectively share in relationships characterized by higher attachment avoidance. Participants (N = 609 in the aggregated sample) reported whether they shared up to four positive and four negative events that happened to them recently with up to eight close network‐members. We found that a one scale‐point increase in RS or global attachment avoidance (7‐point scales) predicted a 68% decrease or a 28% decrease in the odds of sharing, respectively. Nevertheless, people in more avoidant relationships did share personal events selectively: they uniquely prioritized sharing positive events, events that conveyed personal competence, and events that avoided vulnerability. Our findings shed light on the underlying factors contributing to the low likelihood of sharing personal experiences in more avoidant relationships and offer insights for future intervention work.