Jose is a 6 year old whose parents have consistently used threats of abandonment to control his behavior. His parents' inconsistent care and frequent neglect have caused Jose to expect rejection from his parents. Jose's fear of attachment and expectation of rejection is best described as...

• A. Anxious resistant attachment
• B. Anxious avoidant attachment
• C. Insecure attachment
• D. None of the above

Answer: (B)

When caregiving is inconsistent and neglectful, a child learns that closeness may not be reliable or safe, so they protect themselves by pulling away. This pattern is anxious-avoidant attachment. The key feature here is the avoidance of seeking comfort or closeness with the caregiver, along with a general expectation that the caregiver will not meet their needs or may reject them. In Jose’s case, threats of abandonment and ongoing neglect teach him to keep his emotional distance as a way to cope, rather than cling or protest, which aligns with anxious-avoidant attachment.

This differs from anxious-resistant attachment, where a child would be clingy and highly distressed about separation and would alternate between seeking and resisting comfort. And while the term insecure attachment covers a broad range of problems, the specific pattern described—emotional withdrawal and expectation of rejection due to unreliability—best fits anxious-avoidant attachment.