How attached are you to money?

Can attachment theory help explain our emotional relationship with money and how we price our work pricing)?

Alongside @Ben Johnson, I’ve hosted over 66 episodes of the Happy Pricing podcast and ran a coaching program designed to help people price with confidence.

Through this work, I’ve realized that our ability to price is deeply influenced by how we relate to both money and people.

This got me thinking.

Could attachment theory provide a framework for understanding our money behaviors and pricing challenges?

And could this understanding empower us to make more powerful life pivots?

Attachment Theory 101

Attachment theory suggests that our early relationships with caregivers shape our emotional responses and behaviours in adulthood. There are three main attachment styles:

1. Secure Attachment: Comfort with intimacy and autonomy, trusting both others and oneself.
2. Anxious Attachment: A craving for closeness paired with a fear of abandonment, leading to insecurity.
3. Avoidant Attachment: A tendency to avoid intimacy, often due to a belief that relying on others is risky.

Applying this to money

Could these attachment styles describe our relationship with money?

Here’s a hypothesis:

• Secure money attachment: You trust your ability to manage money, even through ups and downs. You’re comfortable making life pivots, trusting that you’ll find a way to meet your financial needs.
• Anxious money attachment: You feel insecure about your finances, constantly doubting whether you have enough. This anxiety can make it difficult to take risks or make life changes, leading to underpricing or over-delivering to avoid losing customers.
• Avoidant money attachment: You shy away from discussing or thinking about money, feeling uncomfortable with the emotions it stirs up. This avoidance can make planning for life pivots challenging, leaving you feeling insecure about change.

So what?

Simple models like this can be powerful tools for self-reflection.

By understanding our money attachment style, we can uncover why we struggle with pricing and why we may hesitate to start that new business or change careers.

A more secure relationship with money can help us make more intentional and powerful life pivots.

What do you think?

I’d love to hear your insights!

Do you see your attachment style influencing how you work with money or approach life changes? Could this framework help us improve our relationship with money and make those life pivots we’ve been dreaming of?

Attach your thoughts below.