Attachment theory describes the different ways people connect in relationships. One attachment style is fearful avoidant, a combination of anxious and avoidant traits. People with this attachment style often fear both abandonment and intimacy. They want closeness, but they’re also afraid of getting hurt.
Fearful avoidant attachment can cause a person to use deactivation as a defense mechanism. What is fearful avoidant deactivation? It’s a way of managing the conflicting desires for connection and independence.
Deactivation isn’t a permanent emotional state. Instead, it’s a response to perceived threats in a relationship. Someone with fearful avoidant attachment might deactivate when they feel too vulnerable or fear rejection.
Fearful avoidant deactivation is complex, and there’s a lot to learn about it. In the sections that follow, we’ll explore the redirection factor, the consensus on duration, and how relationship stages influence deactivation.