Working Model
An internal mental model of how relationships work, shaped by early experiences, that guides expectations and behaviors in close relationships throughout life.
A mental framework built from early attachment experiences that shapes how a person expects others to respond, whether they feel safe depending on others, and how they manage closeness and distance in relationships. Developed through repeated interactions with caregivers, it operates largely outside conscious awareness and influences relationship patterns into adulthood.
What this means in real life
A child whose parent was consistently responsive develops a working model expecting others to be reliable; as an adult, they more easily trust partners and ask for help. A child whose parent was unpredictable may develop a model expecting rejection, making them hesitant to be vulnerable even in stable relationships.
What it isn’t
It is not a fixed personality trait or diagnosis. Working models can shift through new relationships and experiences; they are adaptive patterns, not immutable blueprints.
Commonly misused online
Often conflated with 'attachment style' as if they are identical, when working model is the broader internal framework that generates attachment behavior patterns.