“Like all attachment styles, an anxious preoccupied (AP) attachment style is formed in childhood.

Also known as anxiously attached (AA), this style may come up due to inconsistent parenting, such as a parent who worked long, unpredictable hours, to the point where a child never knew if and when their parent would be there to care for them.

This creates a fear of abandonment and, in adulthood and romantic relationships, the fear of others leaving them.

An anxiously attached individual typically seeks reassurance often in a relationship (such as calling or texting multiple times) due to a parenting style that left them feeling alone or abandoned.

The result is that they have a hard time self-soothing or getting in touch with their own feelings and needs.

That’s why it’s important to understand the characteristics of an anxiously attached individual, so you know how to overcome it.” Source: How to Overcome Anxious Attachment