The Dual Facets of Emotion Perception in Adult Attachment Representations: A Systematic Review on Impathy and Empathy

Background/Objectives: Emotion processing has increasingly been conceptualized as a transdiagnostic mechanism underlying psychological adaptation and psychopathology. From an attachment perspective, individual differences in emotion perception may be rooted in internal working models shaped by early relationships. This systematic review synthesized the literature on the relationship between adult attachment representations and intrapersonal emotion perception (Impathy) and interpersonal emotion perception (Empathy). Methods: The review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search was conducted on 9 February 2026, in PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and PubMed. Studies were included if they investigated adolescents or adults, assessed attachment representations using narrative-based measures (Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) or Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP)), and examined intrapersonal and/or interpersonal emotion perception. Findings were synthesized narratively, and a random-effects meta-analysis examined the association between attachment security and reflective functioning. Results: Thirty-eight studies, including 2736 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Across studies, attachment representations were systematically associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion perception. The strongest evidence emerged for reflective functioning, the Impathy dimensions Perceiving and Understanding, and cognitive-empathic processes. Secure attachment representations were consistently associated with higher reflective functioning and more adaptive emotion perception, whereas insecure and especially unresolved attachment representations were linked to impairments in emotional self-awareness, alexithymia-related processes, differentiated emotional understanding, and cognitive-empathic processing. The meta-analysis showed a large positive association between secure attachment representations and reflective functioning (k = 8; r = 0.64, 95% CI [0.50, 0.74]). Conclusions: Attachment representations appear systematically associated with the perceptual foundations of emotion processing. Intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion perception may therefore represent attachment-sensitive processes relevant to psychological adaptation, psychopathology, caregiving, and therapeutic change.