Final answer:
Adults with a high avoidance attachment style display low intimacy in their relationships, preferring emotional independence and self-reliance, which stems from their early childhood experiences with insensitive or inattentive caregivers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The adult attachment style that tends to have low intimacy in their relationships is C. High avoidance. Those with a high avoidance attachment style typically maintain distance in their relationships, showing a preference for emotional independence and often struggle with intimacy.
They may not perceive close relationships as essential, relishing self-reliance instead. This attachment style is related to an avoidant attachment in children, where the child does not consider the caregiver as a secure base and shows indifference towards the caregiver's presence or absence. These children often grow up to be adults who preserve this distance in their adult relationships.
Attachment theory, as developed by Bowlby and Ainsworth, highlights the secure base provided by caregivers as central to child development and later adult relationships. While a secure attachment in childhood leads to higher intimacy in adult relationships, an avoidant attachment often results in the opposite. Employing a high avoidance strategy in relationships can be seen as a form of 'moving away from people,' a coping style mentioned by Horney to manage anxiety.