IS BELONGING NECESSARY? SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND RESEARCH AGENDA ON WORKPLACE ATTACHMENT

Authors

  • Patrícia Revannia Sousa dos Santos Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI
  • Leonardo Victor de Sá Pinheiro Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8846-9994
  • Antônio Vinícius Oliveira Ferreira Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17564/2316-3801.2026v13n1p83-101

Abstract

The human being has an innate need to form bonds with significant figures, and in adulthood, the workplace can take on the role of an attachment object. In this sense, this study aimed to systematize recent empirical research on workplace attachment. To this end, searches were conducted for articles in the Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and PsycINFO databases, considering only those published from 2020 to 2025 that address workplace attachment as a central theme. The analysis of the selected studies was guided by the 4W’s model of Rosado-Serrano, Paul, and Dikova (2018), allowing a structured approach to what, why, where, and how the phenomenon is treated in the literature. Secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment styles were identified in the workplace. Secure workplace attachment is linked to higher levels of satisfaction, perceived comfort, engagement, citizenship behaviors, and a lower tendency toward stress and burnout. The results highlight the importance of practices that foster the development of secure workplace attachment to promote well-being at work and organizational performance. As a contribution, this study offers directions for future research to deepen the understanding of the topic. The research reinforces the need to investigate the antecedents and effects of attachment styles in different contexts, as well as the decentralization of perspective in the approach.

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Author Biographies

Leonardo Victor de Sá Pinheiro, Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI

Doutor em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). Mestre e Bacharel em Administração pela Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE). Psicólogo pelo Centro Universitário Estácio de Teresina (CEUT). Professor efetivo do Curso de Administração da Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI) e dos Mestrados Profissionais em Administração Pública (PROFIAP/UFPI) e Gestão Pública (PPGP). Membro permanente da Red Iberoamericana de Psicología de las Organizaciones y el Trabajo (RIPOT). Líder do Grupo de Pesquisa (CNPq) em Gestão e Sustentabilidade (GESUS) e do Núcleo de Pesquisa em Psicossociologia, Trabalho e Estudos Socioambientais (NUPYTES) em parceria com a PUC-Minas. Endereço para correspondência: Campus Universitário Ministro Petrônio Portella - Bairro Ininga, CEP 64.049-550 - Teresina (PI). E-mail: leonardopinheiro@hotmail.com. Telefone: (86) 98710-0007. ORCID: 0000-0001-8846-9994.

Antônio Vinícius Oliveira Ferreira, Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI

Graduado em Administração pela Universidade Estadual do Piauí, MBA em Gestão Empresarial pela Fundação Getúlio Vargas - FGV, Mestre em Economia pela Universidade Estadual do Piauí - Linha de Finanças e Seguros, Doutor em Ciências Contábeis e Administração - Fucape Business School. Docente da Universidade Federal do Piauí - UFPI. Endereço para correspondência: Campus Universitário Ministro Petrônio Portella - Bairro Ininga, CEP 64.049-550 - Teresina (PI). E-mail: antvinicius@ufpi.edu.br. Telefone: (86) 99964-0123.

Published

2026-04-24

How to Cite

Sousa dos Santos, P. R., de Sá Pinheiro, L. V., & Oliveira Ferreira, A. V. (2026). IS BELONGING NECESSARY? SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND RESEARCH AGENDA ON WORKPLACE ATTACHMENT. Interfaces Científicas - Humanas E Sociais, 13(1), 83–101. https://doi.org/10.17564/2316-3801.2026v13n1p83-101