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Glossary of Emotional Availability and Attachment Terms

by | Jul 18, 2025 | Emotional Availability | 0 comments

Emotional Availability Glossary

A comprehensive glossary of the key emotional and relational terms that shape connection, intimacy, and attachment. Use this resource to better understand yourself, your relationships, and what makes emotional closeness possible.

What Is Emotional Availability?

Emotional availability is the ability to be emotionally present, responsive, and open in a relationship. It means recognizing and expressing your own emotions while supporting the emotional experiences of others. Emotional availability creates the foundation for intimacy, trust, and psychological safety.

Emotional Availability in Action

Get a feel for how these terms show up in real-life relationships:

  • Anxious Attachment: Jamie constantly worries their partner will leave and sends dozens of texts a day seeking reassurance.
  • Co-Regulation: Ava notices her partner is anxious, so she softens her voice, slows her breathing, and offers a calming hug.
  • Stonewalling: During an argument, Liam avoids eye contact, stops speaking, and leaves the room without explanation.

Glossary Terms

1. Emotional Availability

The capacity to recognize, express, and respond to emotional cues in oneself and others. Includes openness, consistency, and empathy.
Related Terms: Emotional Intimacy, Emotional Responsiveness, Vulnerability

2. Attachment Style

Patterns of emotional behavior in relationships, shaped by early experiences. Includes anxious, avoidant, secure, and disorganized styles.
Related Terms: Anxious Attachment, Secure Attachment, Disorganized Attachment

3. Anxious Attachment

Marked by fear of abandonment, a strong need for closeness, and emotional intensity. Often includes overthinking and people-pleasing.
Related Terms: Vulnerability, Self-Abandonment, Pursuer–Distancer Dynamic

4. Avoidant Attachment

Discomfort with emotional closeness and a preference for independence. May involve distancing or emotional shutdown during conflict.
Related Terms: Stonewalling, Emotional Flooding, Ghosting

5. Secure Attachment

A balanced attachment style with openness, emotional regulation, and comfort with intimacy and autonomy.
Related Terms: Co-Regulation, Emotional Safety, Boundaries

6. Disorganized Attachment

A blend of anxious and avoidant tendencies. Relationships often feel chaotic. Typically rooted in unresolved trauma.
Related Terms: Attachment Injury, Hyper-Independence, Emotional Flooding

7. Emotional Intimacy

The ability to share thoughts, feelings, fears, and desires in a safe, reciprocal space. A key pillar of long-term connection.
Related Terms: Vulnerability, Trust, Emotional Safety

8. Emotional Safety

Feeling psychologically secure in a relationship. Includes being able to express vulnerability without fear of rejection.
Related Terms: Boundaries, Secure Attachment, Co-Regulation

9. Vulnerability

Willingness to express emotional truth, even when it feels risky. Builds trust, deepens connection, and reveals relational readiness.
Related Terms: Emotional Intimacy, Attachment Style, Emotional Responsiveness

10. Self-Abandonment

Prioritizing others’ needs while ignoring your own to preserve connection. Common in anxious attachment and trauma responses.
Related Terms: Anxious Attachment, Codependency, Emotional Labor

11. Stonewalling

Shutting down or withdrawing emotionally during conflict. A defense against feeling overwhelmed or unsafe.
Related Terms: Avoidant Attachment, Ghosting, Emotional Flooding

12. Ghosting

Cutting off contact without explanation. Can reflect avoidant behavior or emotional unavailability.
Related Terms: Stonewalling, Hyper-Independence, Disconnection

13. Love Bombing

Overwhelming a partner with affection early on to create false closeness. Often followed by emotional withdrawal.
Related Terms: Idealization, Trauma Bond, Inconsistency

14. Pursuer–Distancer Dynamic

A cycle where one partner seeks closeness while the other withdraws. Common in anxious–avoidant pairings.
Related Terms: Attachment Style, Emotional Safety, Self-Abandonment

15. Co-Regulation

Two people calming each other emotionally through presence, tone, and connection. Opposite of escalation or withdrawal.
Related Terms: Emotional Attunement, Secure Attachment, Emotional Responsiveness

16. Emotional Flooding

Feeling overwhelmed by emotional input, triggering shut down or defensiveness. Common in trauma responses.
Related Terms: Stonewalling, Disorganized Attachment, Nervous System Dysregulation

17. Boundaries

Clear, healthy limits around emotional, physical, and relational needs. Protects safety and defines responsibility.
Related Terms: Emotional Safety, Self-Respect, Assertiveness

18. Red Flags

Behaviors that signal emotional danger or lack of readiness. Includes inconsistency, blame, or lack of accountability.
Related Terms: Ghosting, Love Bombing, Stonewalling

19. Green Flags

Behaviors that signal emotional maturity and safety. Includes empathy, follow-through, and conflict repair.
Related Terms: Secure Attachment, Emotional Intimacy, Co-Regulation

20. Emotional Responsiveness

The ability to acknowledge and respond to another person’s emotions in a calm, attuned way.
Related Terms: Emotional Availability, Co-Regulation, Vulnerability

Additional Concepts to Consider

To expand emotional depth and SEO relevance, consider adding these key terms in future updates:

  • Hyper-Independence – Excessive self-reliance often rooted in trauma.
  • Emotional Labor – Managing others’ emotions, often invisibly.
  • Relational Resilience – Capacity to recover after emotional rupture.
  • Attachment Injury – A break in emotional trust from abandonment or neglect.
  • Reparenting – Meeting unmet childhood emotional needs through inner healing.

Explore Further

How to Use This Glossary

This glossary is a relational literacy toolkit. Browse alphabetically or explore by emotional themes. Each entry includes a core definition, real-life context, and suggested links for deeper understanding.

Use this glossary to increase emotional self-awareness, improve relationship skills, and cultivate secure emotional bonds.