WASHINGTON – We fall in love for selfish reasons. We tend to pick people who offer qualities that we lack, picking people that “complete us. Thanks Jerry McGuire. So we are attracted to our emotional opposites hoping that they will offer us balance.
There are three major types of attachment style:
- A secure attachment style is most common. These people are caring and comfortable with intimacy.
- People with anxious attachment account for about 20 percent of us. They crave intimacy, but question if their partner really loves them.
- The avoidant attachment style is the 25 percent of people who think intimacy will cost them freedom and independence.
Our relationships are designed to make us better people, so falling for an emotional opposite is a chance to use skills in relating that make you more open and willing to work together. Just communicate and tell each other what you need. Showing love doesn’t need to be perfect — it just has to be enough to let your partner know they are loved.
WTOP’s Randi Martin contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
