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The cultural plasticity of intimacy behavior: A socioecological attachment perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2026

Konstantinos Kafetsios Open the ORCID record for Konstantinos Kafetsios [Opens in a new window]  and
Paul S. Strand Open the ORCID record for Paul S. Strand [Opens in a new window]
Konstantinos Kafetsios*
Affiliation:
Katedra Psychologie, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic kkafetsios@psy.auth.gr Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Paul S. Strand
Affiliation:
Psychology Department 2710 University Drive, Washington State University, Richland, WA, USA pstrand@wsu.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Gender imbalances in intimacy behavior reflect culturally contingent expressions of attachment organization rather than fixed gender differences. Building on Wahring et al.’s model, we apply the Biobehavioral Cultural Model of Attachment to show how affiliative behaviors vary with socioecological conditions, early reinforcement patterns, and cultural norms, offering a dynamic, context-sensitive account of intimacy across diverse settings.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e105
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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