Physical attachment meaning
Attachment Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
at·tach·ment ə-ˈtach-mənt
1
: a seizure by legal process
also : the writ or precept commanding such seizure
2
a
: the state of being personally attached: fidelity
attachment to a cause
b
: affectionate regard
a deep attachment to nature
c
psychology : a strong emotional bond that an infant forms with a caregiver (such as a mother) especially when viewed as a basis for normal emotional and social development
Of course, the mother provides food and warmth, but for the purposes of attachment what really matters is the sense of safety, comfort, and refuge the mother provides. —Henry Gleitman et al.
also : the process by which an infant forms such an emotional bond
Healthy attachment, via attuned parenting, equips human beings for resilience, success, and emotional, psychological, and physiological well-being. —Lindsey Porter
3
: a device attached to a machine or implement
4
: the physical connection by which one thing is attached to another
5
: the process of physically attaching
6
: a separate document or file that is included and sent with an electronic message (such as an email or text message)
The trick to sending attachments successfully is to know what e-mail program and operating system your recipient uses.
—Adam C. Engst
Synonyms
- affection
- devotedness
- devotion
- fondness
- love
- passion
See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Example Sentences
The vacuum cleaner attachments help clean in tight spaces. I need a longer attachment for the drill. I'll send the document as an attachment to my next e-mail.
Recent Examples on the Web Hammond added in the column that director Darren Aronofsky, who spent roughly a decade working on developing The Whale from a stage play to the screen, confirmed Corden's account of his brief attachment to the movie. —Tommy Mcardle, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2023 This suggests that though their alliance is caught in the crossfire of warring interests, their attachment has transcended — or been aided by — their struggles to maintain power over the other and succeed in their individual missions. —Rachel Seo,
Variety, 17 Dec. 2022 But parents often describe their attachment to their children as having their hearts walking around outside their bodies — so proposals to stash their hearts in the basement tend not to be so objectively received.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2022 Physical and emotional pain were not separate—each illness was a reminder of your attachment to someone close to you who was now pulling you toward them by eating your soul. —Piers Vitebsky, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2022 Keep in Mind: Its handheld vacuum attachment isn’t effective at removing hair from upholstery. —Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2022 Most private developers avoid it, either because of the extra expense or because of their attachment to transparency. —Richard Mertens, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Nov. 2022 Get analytical and remove your emotional attachment.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2022 Our fear and hatred of Alzheimer’s ultimately seems rooted in our modern attachment to the idea of the self. —Marion Renault, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2022 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attachment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of attachment was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century
Dictionary Entries Near
attachmentattached
attachment
attachment disk
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Cite this Entry
Style
MLAChicagoAPAMerriam-Webster
“Attachment.
” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attachment. Accessed 11 Jan. 2023.
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Kids Definition
attachment
noun
at·tach·ment ə-ˈtach-mənt
1
: a legal taking of property
2
: strong affection : fondness
3
: a device with a special use that is attached to a machine or tool
attachments for a vacuum cleaner
4
: the connection by which one thing is attached to another
5
: the process of physically attaching
6
: a document or file that is sent with e-mail
Medical Definition
attachment
noun
at·tach·ment ə-ˈtach-mənt
1
: a strong emotional bond that an infant forms with a caregiver (such as a mother) especially when viewed as a basis for normal emotional and social development
also : the process by which an infant forms an attachment
2
: the physical connection by which one thing is attached to another
sever the attachments of a muscle to a bone
attach
ə-ˈtach
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on
attachmentNglish: Translation of attachment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of attachment for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.
com: Encyclopedia article about attachment
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What is the Difference Between Emotional Love and Physical Love
Want to spend more time with someone? Have you been feeling the desire to be close to a person in your life?
Hearing someone laugh makes you want to laugh alongside them? If they cry, you want to hold them close and make them feel better? It looks like you might be in love!
Love is a feeling with many elements involved. Sometimes, love is confused with lust. There is a vast difference between physical love and emotional love.
The idea of Physical love vs. Emotional love is explored here so you can know whether it is the love you are looking at or lust.
Physical love
Physical attraction is when someone arouses you on a level that is basically biological.
If you are possessed by the desire to touch someone, look at them because it makes you feel good, then this means you are physically attracted to them.
It is in human nature to be enticed by what we find attractive. Sex is a biological drive, although it may be related to deeper emotions of care and affection.
Sex is a primal need for humans.
If you have a physical relationship with a person you are emotionally attached to, it is bound to work its magic.
You don’t always invest your feelings and emotions when you are physically attracted to someone. It can be just a straightforward desire to mate with them because you are physically attracted to them.
Emotional love
There are many faces of emotional love. If you want to hold someone close to you, take all their fears away, and protect them at any cost, this means you are emotionally attracted to them.
You want to share every moment of your life with the person you are emotionally attracted to.
Love, value, care, respect, and trust are the fundamentals around which emotional attraction is built. If an emotional bond is created, caring for one another through thick and thin comes naturally,
When you start understanding the other person, when you start relating to them, when you want them for something other than their beauty and good looks, that’s when you are emotionally attracted to them.
Usually, the expectations are higher when you are emotionally involved with someone compared to when you are just physically attracted. Therefore, it could be that heartache and pain are more likely too.
How to distinguish between physical love and emotional love
There are some clear signs which show whether a person is emotionally invested in you or is just attracted to your looks. Some of them are listed as follows
If the person you are with is only interested in having sex and doesn’t invest time and effort into the relationship other than that, it is a sure sign that it is just a physical attraction.
If your partner puts in the effort, and is considerate about your emotions, takes an interest in your life, and helps you through things, then it means he/she is emotionally attracted to you.
If your partner is more concerned about what you wear and how you look compared to how you feel, it is a tell-tale sign of physical attraction.
If your partner is eager to introduce you to his/her family, this means they are emotionally invested in you and are not looking just for sex.
Planning for the future is a very important part of an emotional relationship. If your partner gets scared or changes the topic when you bring you the future, you should keep in mind that this could only be a sign of them looking for a physical relationship.
Being emotionally attracted to someone can make you feel like you are on top of the world.
Having a connection of the soul with someone leaves you satisfied and gratified. Emotional love satisfies the human soul, while physical love satisfies the human body. There are good and bad sides to both of them.
The differences between the two are discussed above. Hopefully, with their help, you would be able to distinguish them from each other.
Also watch:
To further help you distinguish between emotional and physical love, here are a few tips for enhancing them:
Emotional love
- Indulge in something meaningful for both of you.
To deepen the emotional connection in your marriage, you can engage in activities that you both enjoy. It could be anything from taking a walk, cooking together to skydiving. - Create a safe environment for having intimate conversations. Allocate a small amount of your day to sit down with your spouse and just talk, even if it is for an hour in a day. Get away from any distractions and ensure that you put your biases and judgments aside.
- Be more curious, ask hard questions, and just listen with utter fondness.
Physical love
- Improving intimacy in marriage requires deep, human interaction. Turn off the television, cell phone, or any other electronic device when you are with your partner and spend some time talking and sharing, which will help you increase physical closeness and emotional intimacy.
- If you are open to it, introduce sex toys and hot sex games in your bedroom, and you will be amazed at the psychological benefits that you will enjoy, apart from the boost in your sex life.
- Improve intimacy in marriage by understanding different stages of physical intimacy in a relationship. Although no two couples are alike, all relationships go through these stages of progression related to love and intimacy.
References
https://www.thechefandthedish.com/post/2016/05/18/the-benefits-of-cooking-togetherhttps://o.b5z.net/i/u/6076626/f/EFFECTIVE_COMMUNICATION_IN_A_MARRIAG2.pdf
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The type of attachment affects the success of your relationship
The quality of early attachments deeply influences our relationships later in life. Have you ever been paired with an emotionally unresponsive or emotionally drained person? People may lose hope of meeting "that one" after experiencing a failed relationship. They have self-doubt and thoughts: “What is wrong with me?”.
To understand this phenomenon, one must first understand the theory of attachment. It is one of the most studied theories in the field of relationship psychology.
Attachment theory describes how an early relationship with a significant adult, most often a parent, creates an expectation of what love should be like. nine0004
The way we see ourselves and others depends on how responsive the significant adult was in meeting our physical and emotional needs. Already in adult relationships, romantic partners affect our attachment system.
What makes us tick? Consider how significant adults were involved in your care:
- Were they careless or inconsistent with you, or were they supportive? nine0019
- Who did you contact when you had problems?
- Was there anyone among adults you could really count on?
You can define your own type of attachment by becoming familiar with the four existing patterns and how they affect relationships within a couple.
According to attachment theory, if a significant adult was around and made you feel safe and secure when you were a child, you developed a secure attachment pattern.
The experience of secure attachment is very important for creating a healthy relationship in the future, where your partner will support you. nine0004
If the significant adult was unresponsive and indifferent, you develop an insecure attachment pattern. By choosing someone with this pattern, you will never feel safe or secure in a relationship.
Insecure attachment has three varieties:
Anxious attachment is formed when the significant other is inconsistent in their care, confusing the child as to what to expect. A person with this type of attachment acts clingy in a relationship and finds it difficult to trust their partner. nine0004
Avoidant attachment develops in a child whose significant adult behaves in a dismissive manner. Such children play by themselves and are convinced that no one can meet their needs. In adulthood, they position themselves as very independent.
A disorganized attachment is formed in the face of abuse, trauma, or total chaos in the family.
The child learns not to expect anything good from adults and does not have a real "reliable base". nine0004
All of these types of attachment affect how we behave with other people. Which begs the logical question: "Can you change your own attachment type to create a secure relationship?"
Answer: "You can!", But at the cost of hard work. This is where therapy can be incredibly helpful. Understanding your type of attachment and the choice of partner you make will be crucial. An experienced therapist can help develop mindfulness in understanding when you are responding to past wounds. nine0004
We tend to recreate unhealthy relationship patterns from our childhood into adulthood. As painful as it is, there is something soothing about the familiar pattern of behavior. You can even confuse the feeling of something close to early life experience with the real chemistry of the relationship.
Insecure attachment can be overcome by working on yourself and choosing a partner with a secure type of attachment.
Face to face with your fears, build new behaviors to maintain a secure and loving relationship. nine0004
Recommended books.
Below is a list of books translated into Russian that will help you understand the theory of attachment and its impact on your relationships: How Attachment Theory Can Help Create Harmonious Relationships. The book explains how different types of attachment create their relationship patterns, and how these patterns can be broken.
Author: Marnie Feuerman, PhD, is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and Family Relations Therapist.
Translation: Maria Okhotnikova, especially for IRSU.
Love and affection. What is the difference?
We very often confuse banal affection and love. Attachment and love are superficially very similar, but their essence is different.
In fact, attachment is the exact opposite of love, because behind the external signs of love it hides pride, envy and hatred, since it is based on the desire to possess.
Yes, attachment is based on the desire for possession, so it is nothing more than the desire to enjoy the object of one's love on a gross (body) and subtle level (communication ... etc.)
Love is unconditional self-giving, and if even the most insignificant condition remains in the mind, it means that in these relations I am more important than the one I love. I am put in the center, which means that the other is just a means to achieve one's own happiness. This means that the dominant feeling in these relationships will not be love, but exploitation. Therefore, between the words attachment and exploitation, you can put an equal sign.
True love is like death, you have to give yourself completely to the service of your object of love, which is why people are afraid of true love. nine0004
But, even after realizing that attachment has not brought real bliss, a person does not try to change it for real unconditional love, but simply changes his partner. And this really gives a feeling of being in love for a while, since falling in love accompanies not only love, but also affection. But after a while, the suffering returns, and again it is necessary to look for a new object for conducting another selfish experiment on it. And until a person understands the difference between the soul and the body, he will be afraid of death, which means he will be afraid of unconditional love. With death, only our mortal body dies. Love also brings death to the subtle body, our dear mind. nine0004
In short, in order to conquer death, one must learn to love, and love is based on self-giving, not attachment. Thus, the struggle with attachments leads to victory over death.
In love, we don't just give away body, mind and ego. In love we give even our mind, that's why love is so much like madness. Therefore, believers and lovers are so annoying to a simple man in the street. But the one who has completely surrendered to a worthy partner enters a state of complete calm, since his whole life is now based not on his own egoism, but on complete trust. nine0004
Love requires complete surrender to the object of love, and attachment tries to subdue this object, to make it be mine and only mine. Therefore, unselfish love brings life in itself, and attachment brings death in itself. Therefore, if after the stage of falling in love the stage of selfless love does not come, then the partners simply kill each other. In a word, there is so much love in this world that turns into attachment, but so little true love, since no one teaches selflessness. nine0004
Love also relieves a person of fear, because fear is the fear of losing something. And the fear of losing is a symptom of growing attachment.
