[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-39553-en":3,"doc-seo-39553-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":20,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},39553,34359740700684,"Finn","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1f400023980c374ae676?_k=1777273430885731487",9,"Religion & Spirituality","Attachment Theory and Religion","Attachment theory examines how interpersonal affectional bonds develop and operate, and it also offers a framework for understanding how individuals relate to God as a central religious figure. The review outlines core attachment concepts and summarizes research connecting religion to normative attachment processes and individual attachment differences. Evidence from cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal studies links God perceptions to resilience, described through safe-haven and secure-base functions, and proposes attachment-related developmental pathways and mental-health implications.","Available online [at www.sciencedirect.com](at www.sciencedirect.com)[ ](at www.sciencedirect.com)ScienceDirect  \nAttachment theory and religion  \nAaron D Cherniak 1, Mario Mikulincer2, Phillip R Shaver3 and  \nPehr Granqvist 1  \nAttachment theory deals with the development and dynamics of interpersonal affectional bonds. It also provides a framework for understanding individuals’ relationship with God, which is central to religion. We review basic concepts of attachment theory and survey research that has examined religion both in terms of normative attachment processes and individual differences in attachment. We cite evidence from crosssectional, experimental, and longitudinal studies showing that many religious individuals experience God as a source of resilience (e.g. a safe haven and secure base) . We also summarize proposed attachment-related developmental pathways to religion. Finally, we review research on religion and mental health undertaken from an attachment viewpoint and discuss future directions.  \nAddresses  \n1 Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden  \n2 Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, 8 Ha’universuta St. , P.O. Box 167, Herzliya, 46150, Israel  \n3 Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, 103 Young Hall, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA  \nCorresponding author:  \nCherniak, Aaron D ([aaron.cherniak@psychology.su.se](aaron.cherniak@psychology.su.se))  \nCurrent Opinion in Psychology 2021, 40:126–130  \nThis review comes from a themed issue on Religion Edited by Vassilis Saroglou and Adam B Cohen For a complete overview see the Issue and the Editorial Available online 7th September 2020  \n[https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.08.020](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.08.020)  \n2352-250X/ã 2020 The Author(s) . Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ([http://creativecommons](http://creativecommons). org/licenses/by/4.0/) .  \nAttachment theory: Basic concepts  \nBowlby [1] posits that an innate psychobiological system (attachment behavioral system) motivates proximity seeking to supportive others (attachment ﬁgures) in times of need for the sake of protection and safety. According to Ainsworth [2], people turn to attachment ﬁgures for two main provisions: a safe haven (i.e. distress alleviation and comfort) and a secure base from which to explore, learn, and thrive. Attachment theory also delineates individual differences in attachment-system functioning [3], usually resulting from variations in experiences with attachment ﬁgures and the storage of these experiences in mental representations of self and others (internal working models,  \nIWMs) [4]. Interactions with mostly sensitive/responsive caregivers lead to attachment security — expectations that support (a safe haven and secure base) will be available when needed—and reinforce positive IWMs of self-worth and others’ benevolence. When attachment ﬁgures are not reliably sensitive/responsive, however, attachment insecurity may result, marked by negative IWMs.  \nIn adolescence and adulthood, researchers have conceptualized attachment-related individual differences (orientations or styles) as regions in a continuous two-dimensional space [5]. One dimension, attachment-related avoidance, reﬂects the extent to which a person distrusts others’ intentions and defensively strives to maintain behavioral and emotional independence (attachment-system deactivation). The other dimension, attachmentrelated anxiety, reﬂects the extent to which a person worries that others will not be supportive and anxiously seeks their love and care (attachment-system hyperactivation). Whereas high avoidance or anxiety scores reﬂect insecurities about others’ responsiveness, people who score relatively low on both dimensions are considered secure with respect to attachment (i.e. comfortable with intimacy and more secure interdependence with others). D","cbCaiequ9s06Xyq0","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiequ9s06Xyq0","pdf",200802,5,1,"English","en",105,"# Attachment theory: Basic concepts\n# Normative processes: God as a noncorporeal attachment figure\n# Attachment-related developmental pathways to religion\n# Religion and mental health from an attachment viewpoint\n# Future directions","[{\"question\":\"What does attachment theory explain about interpersonal relationships?\",\"answer\":\"Attachment theory focuses on how individuals develop and regulate affectional bonds, including the motivations that arise when support and protection are needed. It also characterizes individual differences in attachment functioning.\"},{\"question\":\"How does attachment theory connect religion to psychological development?\",\"answer\":\"The religion-as-attachment model frames religious beliefs and experiences as attachment-related processes. Research proposes developmental pathways from early caregiving experiences to how people form attachment-related relationships with God.\"},{\"question\":\"What role does God play in the attachment perspective?\",\"answer\":\"For many believers, God is experienced as a noncorporeal attachment figure providing resilience, conceptualized as a safe haven and a secure base. This portrayal appears in both doctrinal representations and experiential-affective experiences such as prayer.\"}]",1783084284,13,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":27},"attachment-theory-and-religion","",{"@graph":35,"@context":85},[36,53,68],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,50],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/attachment-theory-and-religion/39553/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":40,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-12","2026-07-03",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"What does attachment theory explain about interpersonal relationships?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"Attachment theory focuses on how individuals develop and regulate affectional bonds, including the motivations that arise when support and protection are needed. 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