A Secure Base for Entrepreneurship: Attachment Orientations and Entrepreneurial Tendencies

• Published in: Behavioral sciences Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 61
• Main Authors: Segal, Sandra, Mikulincer, Mario, Hershkovitz, Lihi, Meir, Yuval, Nagar, Tamir, Maaravi, Yossi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-01-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: 21st century; Anxiety; Attachment; Behavior; Businesspeople; Economic growth; Emotional regulation; Emotions; entrepreneurial personality; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Mental health; Personality; Self esteem; New York; United Kingdom; Singapore; Israel; attachment; entrepreneurial personality; entrepreneurship
• ISSN: 2076-328X; 2076-328X
• DOI: 10.3390/bs13010061

Entrepreneurship catalyzes economic growth; it generates jobs, advances the economy and solves global challenges. Hence, it is crucial to understand the factors contributing to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs' development. While many studies have investigated intrapersonal factors for entrepreneurial tendencies, the present study focuses on a critical yet often overlooked interpersonal aspect: attachment orientations. Specifically, this article examines the relationship between adult attachment orientations and entrepreneurial tendencies. Three studies across three countries (Israel, the UK, and Singapore) indicated that an anxious attachment orientation in close relationships is negatively associated with enterprising tendencies. In Israel (Study 1) and Singapore (Study 2), avoidant attachment in close relationships was also negatively correlated to such tendencies. Overall, the more people feel secure in close relationships (lower scores on attachment anxiety or avoidance), the higher their enterprising tendencies. Limitations and future research suggestions are discussed.