We have a new paper in press at JPSP with Erin Hughes, Emma McGorray, Wendi Gardner, and Eli Finkel. We find that people high on attachment avoidance perceive change due to their close relationships as losing parts of themselves, which contributes to lower commitment to their relationship. Furthermore, we find a disparity in perceptions, such that external metrics (including their own behavior and third-party coders) do not detect loss of self among avoidant people.
Hughes, E. K., Emery, L. F., McGorray, E. L., Gardner, W. L., & Finkel, E. J. (in press). The delusion of the disappearing self? Attachment avoidance and the experience of externally invisible self-loss in romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.