Lecture 3 - attachment proximity seeking Flashcards
Mikulincer and Shaver (2007) systems approach behavioural model
- Activation of the attachment system and resultant primary strategy of proximity seeking
- Consequences of proximity seeking – helpful or not?
- Secondary strategies that can be used if the primary strategy fails
Model is influenced by context. (reminding an insecure person of a time when they felt supported by an attachment figure will make them more secure).
Neural circuits around the model are reinforced through repeated use. (fearful oscillate between the two, secure rarely hyperactivate or deactivate).
Hyperactivating affect regulation strategy is related to which attachment type
Anxiety
Deactivating affect regulation strategy is related to which attachment type
avoidance
do fearful people deactivate or hyperactivate
both (oscilate between the two)
What constitutes threat?
(can be related to relationship or not), can come from within (thoughts, daydreams, memories).
How is the attachment system activated
- Thinking about own mortatlity
- Presenting the word death subliminally
- Imagining an argument with an attachment figure.
proximity seeking in adulthood
- Preconsciously – heightened access to attachment related thoughts and actions
- Conscious thoughts of seeking proximity
- in children movement from 1 to 2 is rapid but in adults much slower.
Shaver, Schwartz, Kirson, & O’Connor (1987) anxiety and avoidance affects how we
- appraise emotions
- regulate experience- express emotions
Attachment insecurty
- Distortion or denial of emotional experience, unconscious suppression of functional emotions, dysfunctional rumination of threats.
Empirical evidence for preconscious activation of attachment cognitions • Mikulincer et al. (2000).
Subliminal prime, lexical decision task (threat or neutral word). All pps had faster RTs to proximity rather than threat.
- Secure and avoidant had slower RTs to separation words after threat prime
- Anxious pps ha faster Rts to all attachment words (including negative ones about separation and rejection)
When cognitive load was introduced:
avoidant pps showed faster RTs to separation words (defensive strategy breaks down).
Findings show anxious ppts’ hyperactivating strategies keep rejection-related thoughts available in working memory (even under no threat)
For avoidant ppts, worries about rejection and separation seemed generally to be mentally inaccessible, BUT, such worries became accessible in response to threat primes under cognitive load (Mikulincer et al., 2000). - Social cognition research has shown that addition of a cognitive load increases the accessibility of material that a person is trying to suppress (e.g., Wegner, Erber, & Zanakos, 1993)
what effects does attachment have on appraisal
- Ego resiliency
- Perceieved coping resources
- Positive expectations regarding the regulation of negative moods
- Confidence in ability to solve life problems
- Optimism
- Stress resistant attitudes.
anxiety and appraisal
distress-intensifying appraisals, Threats are seen as extreme and coping resources as deficient
Meredith, Strong and Feeney (2005) studied chronic pain patients
Secures found their pain less threatening than dismissing or fearful, and catastrophized less than fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing.
Threat appraisal vs coping appraisal in avoidant
Most studies find that avoidant people’s coping appraisals are similar to those of secure people (appraising coping resources as adequate) • But, it’s not the same for threat appraisal: • Most studies find that avoidance (like anxiety) is associated with appraising stressful events as highly threatening • Avoidant defences break down under cognitive load!
