There are four attachment styles in adults with the avoidant attachment style belonging to the insecure category or level and having two forms; the dismissive-avoidant and the fearful-avoidant.
A person with avoidant attachment disorder and is dismissive-avoidant often do not find it comfortable to engage in emotional relationships and is one who considers himself or herself as independent and self-sufficient. For this person, he or she can survive and be happy staying single. On the other hand, a fearful-avoidant person is someone who finds it hard to trust other people and finds discomfort when a relationship becomes intimate or deeper.
A dismissive-avoidant individual shields himself or herself from being hurt or rejected that he or she can put less priority on having relationships and can even last without a partner at all while a fearful-avoidant person has ambivalent feelings when it comes to relationships that he or she long to be in one but withdraws one newness of the relationship is over and intimacy sets in. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of Avoidant Attachment Disorder
1. Difficulty in Trusting
A person who has an Avoidant Attachment Disorder will not easily feel comfortable in trusting another who tries to get close to him or her. Case in point, when a man courts a woman who has is fearful-avoidant, he will find it hard to profess his love or feelings because the girl she is courting will always have the need for him to prove it and if he does, keeps on doubting his sincerity.
2. Distancing
A person with avoidant attachment disorder finds it hard to express his or her feelings, physically and emotionally. In a relationship where one is avoidant, this person often walks away from conflicts that he or she tends to be passive and simply avoid arguments. This is also the type of person who is not affectionate with his or her partner.
3. Dependency
In avoidant attachment disorder, the avoidant person finds it hard to initiate relationships and being demonstrative of his or her feelings but is also someone who is dependent on his or her partner to the point of having the need to know where the partner is all the time.
4. Ambivalence
Having ambivalent feelings about the relationship is also a symptom of this disorder. An avoidant person fear rejection and getting hurt that he or she distances himself of herself but when becomes dependent on the person. He or she also feels insecure when the partner somehow distances himself of herself and thinks love is getting lost. Conversely, when he or she is given attention, he or she will feel trapped in the relationship and will want to escape by ending the relationship.
5. Short-lived Relationships
There is a pattern when it comes to the relationships a fearful-avoidant person has. This is hopping on from one short relationship to the other. Because of the fear of getting hurt and being rejected, this person will find fault on his or her partner to rationalize ending the relationship when he or she feels it requires intimacy.
It is important to know the warning signs of Avoidant Attachment Disorder for a person suffering from one or for someone who is in a relationship with an avoidant person. This way, it will be easier to understand the disorder and to know what treatment is available.