A multi-study examination of attachment and implicit theories of relationships in ghosting experiences

Abstract

Ghosting is a dissolution strategy where the initiator ends all communication with the other person, ignoring attempts to reestablish the interaction. We examined the associations between attachment (i.e., anxiety/avoidance) and ghosting, and replicated previous work on implicit theories of relationships (i.e., growth/destiny) and ghosting. Study 1 ( N = 165) was an exploratory analysis of attachment and ghosting experiences, with those previously ghosted by a romantic partner reporting higher anxiety than those not previously ghosted by a romantic partner. Those who had ghosted a partner reported more avoidance than those who had not previously ghosted a partner. Study 2 ( N = 247) was a pre-registered replication of Study 1 and replication of ghosting and implicit theories. Study 3 was pre-registered and replicated the findings from Studies 1 and 2 with a substantially larger sample ( N = 863). Specifically, individuals who had been ghosted or had both ghosted and been ghosted reported significantly higher anxiety than those who had ghosted or had no prior ghosting experience. Individuals who had ghosted or had both ghosted and been ghosted reported significantly higher avoidance than those with no prior ghosting experience. Similarly, individuals who had ghosted or had both ghosted and been ghosted reported significantly higher destiny beliefs than those who had been ghosted or had no prior experience with ghosting. Finally, a meta-analysis across the three studies examined the strength of the associations between ghosting experiences and attachment. Taken together, these studies consistently demonstrate an association between attachment anxiety and being ghosted, as well as destiny beliefs and ghosting a romantic partner.

From Close to Ghost: Examining the Relationship Between the Need for Closure, Intentions to Ghost, and Reactions to Being Ghosted

“…For example, people with strong, versus weak, destiny beliefs—a fixed belief that people are either meant to be together or not—are more likely to have used ghosting in the past and express stronger intentions to ghost in the future (Freedman et al, 2019). Furthermore, anxious attachment—having negative self-views in relationships—is lower in people who have used ghosting than those who have been ghosted (Powell et al, 2021). However, other research has failed to find significant correlations between individual differences and ghosting intentions (e.g., self-esteem, assertiveness, sense of power, and empathetic concern; Navarro et al, 2021).…”

Exploring social exclusion: Where we are and where We're going

“…Further, one can be unfollowed or unfriended on social media platforms or even refused social connection requests to begin with, typically with no explanation provided to the receiver. This phenomenon has been labeled ghosting and increasingly has become a way of ending social relationships, especially for individuals who may have relationship attachment issues (Freedman et al., 2019; Lutz & Schneider, 2021; Pancani et al., 2022; Powell et al., 2021). A related phenomenon, orbiting , involves someone refusing direct communication with another person yet remaining connected with them (e.g., “following them”) on a social media platform.…”

Exploring individuals’ descriptive and injunctive norms of ghosting

“…Moreover, recipients of ghosting experience more distress, uncertainty, and other negative emotions than when the relationship is ended more directly (Koessler et al, 2019a;LeFebvre & Fan, 2020;Pancani et al, 2021). Additional research has more broadly explored individuals' motivations to use ghosting (Koessler et al, 2019a(Koessler et al, , 2019bLeFebvre et al, 2019Manning et al, 2019;Timmermans et al, 2020) and various correlates of ghosting behaviors (Freedman et al, 2019;Navarro et al, 2020Navarro et al, , 2021Powell et al, 2021). Most of this research, though, has predominately compared individuals-mostly emerging adults-who have ghosted to those who have not, and those who have been ghosted to those who have not; less research has accounted for the fact that some individuals may have both ghosted and been ghosted (e.g., LeFebvre et al, 2019;Manning et al, 2019;Powell et al, 2021).…”