Identifying Marital Interpersonal Pathologies in Men with Avoidant Attachment: A Qualitative Research

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify marital interpersonal pathologies in men with avoidant attachment. Data collection was carried out to the extent of saturation and according to the triangulation method in three ways including (1) 18 semi-structured interviews with 10 men with avoidant attachment and their spouses, (2) interviews with 8 experts in the field of attachment, and (3) review of the literature on the subject. The thematic analysis resulted in identifying 11 subcategories, which were classified into three main categories of emotional pathologies, communication pathologies, and functional pathologies. The results also showed that identifying interpersonal pathologies among men with avoidant attachment and providing preventive therapeutic solutions appropriate to each pathology can be a great help in increasing marital satisfaction.