The Effect of Adult Attachment on the Fear of Intimacy: The Mediating Effect of Self-differentiation and Self-esteem

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between adult attachment, self-differentiation, and self-esteem in solving the fear of intimacy in interpersonal relationships experienced by adults. This study targeted people in the 20s to 50s age group, and data from 1,263 participants were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0. The results are as follows. First, it was found that secure attachment had a negative relationship with the fear of intimacy, while the relationship between self-differentiation and self-esteem was positive. On the other hand, anxiety attachment and avoidance attachment were shown to have a positive relationship with the fear of intimacy, but a negative relationship was identified with self-differentiation and self-esteem. Second, it became evident that self-differentiation and self-esteem mediated the relationship between adult attachment and the fear of intimacy. Additionally, the findings indicated that self-differentiation and self-esteem had a dual mediating effect. The results of this study can be used as basic data for counseling and educational programs to solve the fear of intimacy in interpersonal relationships experienced by adults.