Financial Wellbeing - What’s Your Money Dynamic?
by: Pria Masson - Sun, 07 Sep 2025
Business consultant Pria Masson explains how understanding your money dynamic and attachment style can transform financial wellbeing, helping you make intentional choices and build healthier money habits.
Do you think about money? Or do you just use it as you need it? How does your mind and body respond to money? What if we were to think of money as a person? Where would you place money in your interaction circle? It may seem like I’m asking you questions that make little sense, but read on to understand this breakthrough I’ve had about how we all deal with money in our unique ways.
The Interaction Circle
Think of yourself as the centre of concentric circles. The smallest circle includes those closest to you, probably your best friends, your partner, children etc. As people move to outer rings, their influence on your life becomes weaker. Now, think of money as a person and decide where you would place it today. While doing so, also consider your core attachment style; are you secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganised or a mix of some of these? Let me explain.
Your Attachment Style
Psychology classifies the way we attach to people into four types. If you’re securely attached, you’re comfortable with closeness and independence. You trust easily, communicate openly and manage conflict well.
If you’re anxiously attached, you’re likely to crave closeness but fear abandonment. You overthink, need constant reassurance and can be clingy.
Those who are avoidantly attached tend to value independence, avoid emotional vulnerability and can feel smothered, often shutting down in conflict.
Finally, people with disorganised attachment are unique in their conflicted, unpredictable behaviour patterns.
They desire intimacy but fear being hurt. Many people can be a mix of more than one style.
Why does this matter? Because if your physiology and biology are trained to interact in a certain way, it’s inevitable that this tendency will spill over into other aspects of life, even money.
Your Money Persona
When you think about the above, what’s your dynamic with money? Are you a Balanced Banker where your values and money align, you are mindful and open with money and make calm, considered choices? Money is a tool for you and you know how to use it. It may pose challenges but it does not cause stress. Like secure attachment, this is a goal and a space most people want to reach.
However, the reality is that we mostly exhibit a mix of the other dynamics.
You could be a ‘People Pleaser Purse’ where you spend to gain love or approval, might overspend to fit in and probably hoard money when feeling unsafe. This is similar to a typically anxious person.
Alternatively, you could be a ‘Wallet Wall Builder’ where you keep tight control over money, avoid joint decisions and shut down financial vulnerability. This aligns with an avoidance attachment style where independence is valued above all else, being smothered feels unbearable and shutting down during conflict is normal.
Finally, you could be a ‘Rollercoaster Wallet,’ characterised by unpredictable binge-spending during emotional highs and sudden swings to guilt or extreme saving. If this is you, it suggests a disorganised attachment style where actions are conflicted, unpredictable and often shaped by past trauma.
What do you do with this?
Know that money is just another relationship in your life. Yes, it’s a means to living but it’s a very complicated one, layered with our innate patterns. How do you improve this relationship? The same way you improve others … you work on it.
You identify patterns and reflect on your money mindset. As you become more aware, out of your next 10 money decisions, you might reconsider at least one because you recognise a pattern based on what you’ve read here. That’s the first step.
The ability to be objective and balanced with money is a skill. Like all skills, it can be learnt, practised and built into your habits in a way that you choose. Stop fearing, start noticing and the skill will follow.
All terms coined here are original expressions and the intellectual property of the author. Unauthorised use or reproduction is not permitted.
Pria Masson Tanwar writes about money, mindset and the habits that shape financial wellbeing. With years of experience in finance and a growing interest in human behaviour, she shares practical insights to help readers make more intentional financial choices.
Explore more of her work at www.priamasson.com
@coachingwithpria
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