Bound to interact: The divergent goals and complex interplay of attachment and sex within romantic relationships

Abstract

Attachment and sexual mating are distinct behavioral systems that serve different evolutionary functions. Although their behavioral manifestations may occur in isolation, romantic partners typically function simultaneously as sexual partners and as attachment figures. In recent years, researchers have focused their attention on the complex interplay between attachment processes and the sexual aspects of romantic love. In this manuscript, I review research that demonstrates the reciprocal relationship between these two systems. I also present new findings concerning whether and how reactions characteristic of the sexual system serve attachment-related goals, primarily in situations that call for distress regulation, and how these reactions are moderated by attachment insecurities. The research conducted to date points to the need for us to understand how the attachment and sexual systems mutually influence each other at different stages of relationship development.