Are You My Attachment Figure? A (Currently) Unanswerable Question

The attachment figure construct is the centerpiece of attachment theory. Research has suggested that most adults have three to five such figures at any given time, many of whom are in normative attachment roles, such as mothers, fathers, and romantic partners, but some of whom are not, such as friends and other family members. An important challenge in attachment research is to identify who a given individual's unique attachment figures are. In this paper, we review the definitional criteria for attachment figures and summarize existing methods to identify idiographic attachment figures. While recognizing the advancements current measures have brought the field, we argue that they oversimplify the challenges in attachment figure identification. We argue that if one uses enacted behavioral data rather than perceived data to measure specific attachment criteria, one quickly encounters unsolvable complexities that preclude attachment figure classifications. This has deep implications for the status of attachment figure construct itself. We outline the implications for current attachment theory and discuss potential paths forward.