The Role of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance in Theory of Mind and Autobiographical Memory

this study aimed to investigate the role of attachment anxiety and avoidance in theory of mind and autobiographical memory. The study population consisted of all married individuals living in districts 1, 2, and 5 in Tehran. 212 people (119 female and 93 male) were selected by convenience sampling method and completed Experience in Close Relationships Scale-Revised (Fraley, Waller, Brennan, 2000), Autobiographical Memory Test (Williams & Broadbent, 1986), and Reading Mind in the Eyes Test (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001). Data were analyzed via Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Findings indicated a negative relationship of anxiety attachment with theory of mind and autobiographical memory. Results from regression analysis showed that attachment avoidance but not anxiety negatively predicted theory of mind and autobiographical memory. Decreased ability to recognize one's own and other's mental states and recollection of self-related memories in avoidant people, can be attributed to their deactivating strategies, over self-reliance, and suppression of attachment-related clues in these individuals.