Call to arms: Research directions to substantiate a unified model of attachment and personality pathology

Personality pathology and adult attachment are “made of the same stuff” (Meyer & Pilkonis, 2005). They share crucial phenomenological features, etiologies, and genetic bases; however, these shared features have not been appropriately represented in empirical literature as reflective of a common dysfunction. Continuing to conceptualize attachment and personality pathology as separable constructs shackles clinical efforts, particularly with regard to identifying persons and relationships that may be most prone to interpersonal problems. In the current review, we argue that adult attachment and personality pathology may indeed be iterations of the same underlying dysfunction, and that empirical work conducted to date has been insufficient in this characterization. We also argue that to accurately represent the nature of attachment and personality pathology, the empirical integration of interpersonal dysfunction must be conducted across nosologies, demographic groups, and time. We support our arguments using empirical, theoretical, and clinical material that demonstrates the unity of attachment and personality disorders.