Textbook Chapter 6 Flashcards
anxiety and coping strategies began with…
concepts introduced by psychoanalytic theory
but took their thinking in new directions
how do traditional psychoanalysts think about anxiety and coping mechanisms?
emphasize unconscious sources of anxiety
and defense mechanisms
are we more anxious today than our parents and their parents? or do we just complain more
data suggests that we indeed have entered an age of anxiety
anxiety
an UNPLEASANT emotional experience
feelings of worry, panic, fear, dread
Freud’s 3 types of anxiety
- reality anxiety
- neurotic anxiety
- moral anxiety
reality anxiety
response to PERCEIVED THREAT in real world
ie. when followed by a stranger at night
you’re AWARE of the SOURCE of the anxiety
reality anxiety is less interesting to Freud because…
it’s conscious
neurotic anxiety
when unacceptable id impulses are DANGEROUSLY CLOSE to breaking the SURFACE
this anxiety leads EGO to use DEFENSE MECHANISMS
neurotic anxiety leads ego to…
use defense mechanisms
to try to keep unacceptable id impulses under the surface
moral anxiety
brought about by SUPEREGO
in response to id impulses that violate superego’s strict moral code
experienced as guilt
moral anxiety is experienced as…
guilt
defense mechanisms versus coping mechanisms
defense mechs:
- unconscious
coping mechs:
- conscious
coping with anxiety: we respond to stress-provoking situations with…
calculated efforts to reduce our anxiety
coping strategies
efforts to cope with anxiety in the face of a perceived threat
endless different ones: long walks, drinking alcohol, attacking problem at the source, ignoring problem, exercise
women and men: differences in coping strategies
women report more coping strategies than men
but not sure if this difference is real
not everyone uses the same strategies, but there are _____ patterns in the ways that people cope
stable
consistently rely on our favourite coping strategies across problems and time
coping styles
stable patterns of coping strategy use/types employed by different people
2 types of coping strategies
repression
sensitizing
some people would rather IGNORE anxiety provoking topics
others want to educate themselves so they can deal with problems should they arise
personality dimension related to coping strategies
repression-sensitization
repressors
people who respond to threatening situations by AVOIDING them
try not to think about the situation and avoid anxiety this way
“worrying about it will do no good”
“get your mind off of it”
sensitizers
deal with stressful situations by FINDING OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
and thereby putting themselves in effective place for action
3 basic ways to deal with anxiety
- problem-focused strategies
- emotion-focused strategies
- avoidance strategies
problem-focused strategies
intended to TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM
ie. financial problem - look for ways to earn money or reduce expenses
these people feel that MAKING A PLAN reduces their anxiety
problem focused strategic people feel that doing what reduces their anxiety?
making a plan
emotion-focused strategies
designed to REDUCE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS accompanying the problem
ie. rejected from law school - consider how this could actually be for the best
avoidance strategies
deal with emotions by PUSHING ANXIETY-PROVOKING situations OUT OF AWARENESS
ie. worried about losing job - go out drinking
do most people use only one coping strategy?
no, most people COMBINE strategies
coping strategies: women may use more…
emotion-focused strategies than men
coping strategies: men may use more…
direct problem solving strategies than women
how effective are coping strategies?
using some kind of strategy is always more effective than using no strategy
are all coping strategies equally effective?
ACTIVE strategies = almost always more effective than avoidance
emotion vs problem strategies = which one is better DEPENDS on the situation
active strategies over avoidance strategies
active strategies are often useful
avoidance strategies are RARELY USEFUL in reducing anxiety or helping people overcome tragedy
if you use an avoidance strategy, you’re more likely to suffer from…
PTSD after a traumatic event
long term consequences from extensive reliance on avoidance strategies
don’t help you
more vulnerable to STRESS-RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS
ie. hypertension, cardiovascular disease
when are avoidance strategies sometimes effective?
in the short run
ie. ignore relationship problems when studying for finals
but this only DELAYS dealing the the problem
may only be useful for SMALL issues
avoidance strategies can also create…
additional problems
ie. excessive drinking and substance use
problem or emotion-focused strategies?
depends on the situation
key: is there any way to CORRECT the problem, or is it a situation which MUST BE ACCEPTED?
if there’s a way to solve the problem, should address it directly
but sometimes we can’t do anything about a situation - here, trying to make the problem go away is fruitless
when a situation can’t be changed, working on your…
EMOTIONAL REACTION is likely to be the best approach
coping flexibility
if one strategy doesn’t work, maybe another one will
key to effective coping may be knowing when to employ which kind of strategy
some people have better coping flexibility than others
people who score high on coping flexibility tend to have…
higher sense of WELLBEING
and experience LESS EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
commonly observed connection between WHAT and aggression?
frustration
you get frustrated, and then you get angry
Freud quote on aggression
“men are not gentle creatures who want to be loved. they are, on the contrary, creatures among whose instinctual endowments [is] a powerful share of aggressiveness”
freud’s initial proposition for the source of aggression
aggression results from FRUSTRATED LIBIDO
when pleasure-seeking impulse is BLOCKED, we experience a “PRIMORDIAL REACTION” to ATTACK the obstacle
ego keeps us from attacking anyone who spoils our fun, so we often DISPLACE our aggression
freud’s revised proposition for the source of aggression
revised after mass destruction of human life in WW1
concept of death instinct called THANATOS
thanatos and aggression
thanathos: death instinct
we all have an instinctual desire to destroy ourselves
but because ego doesn’t allow for self-destruction, instinct is TURNED OUTWARDS towards others
frustration-aggression hypothesis and Freud’s quotes on it
modification of Freud’s original thinking
“aggression is always the consequence of frustration”
“occurrence of aggressive behaviour always presupposes the existence of frustration”
“existence of frustration always leads to some form of aggression”
Freud’s frustration-aggression hypothesis is somewhat…
simple and clean cut
psychoanalytic notion for when aggression will stop
when we experience CATHARSIS
(release of tension)
until frustration builds tension levels up again, should except no further aggressive outbursts
later aggression researchers described tension in terms of…
arousal
energy levels
muscle tension
what results in cathartic release?
ie. kicking boots across the room, slamming a door
problem with the frustration-aggression hypothesis
given all the frustrating experiences in our lives, why don’t we spend more of our time acting aggressively?
led to a modification of the hypothesis
modification of the frustration-aggression hypothesis
modification caused by fact that we don’t always act aggressively after feeling frustration
proposition that frustration SOMETIMES leads to INDIRECT EXPRESSIONS of aggression
indirect aggression expressed by…
- DISPLACING aggression on NEW TARGET (ie. taking work stress out on spouse)
- indirectly attack boss by SPREADING GOSSIP about them
- using SUBLIMATION - run a few miles/play hard game of basketball to work out tension
kids who showed highest aggressive behaviour levels at school…
also showed highest levels of STRESS/FRUSTRATION at home
adults laid off from jobs…
are 6 times more likely to engage in ACT OF VIOLENCE than those still employed
frustrating people in a line experiment
those closer to GOAL (nearer to front of line)
experienced MORE FRUSTRATION and MORE AGGRESSION
manipulated frustration levels and observed ensuing aggressive behaviour
but the og frustration-aggression hypothesis is…
too limited
frustration is BUT ONE of MANY negative emotions that increase aggression
ie. uncomfortably HIGH TEMPs increase aggression
ie. LOUD NOISES do
ie. CIGARETTE SMOKE does too
modified frustration-aggression hypothesis: explanation of why frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression
question isn’t HOW FRUSTRATING an event is
it’s HOW UNPLEASANT the accompanying EMOTION is
displacing aggression
we don’t always attack the SOURCE of our frustration DIRECTLY
sometimes direct frustration-induced anger toward SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T DESERVE IT
indirect targets: safer than towards instructor or employer
shock study - displacing aggression
anagram study
- either no one distracted you
- or someone was annoying
those who were annoyed during the task gave more shocks during the second part
business study - displacing aggression
supervisors who were frustrated by their treatment at work/lack of promotions
reluctant to express anger directly to bosses
PEOPLE WORKING UNDER them complained about being put down in front of others, mistreated by their supervisors
FRUSTRATED SUPERVISORS APPEARED TO DISPLACE THEIR ANGER ONTO THEIR SUBORDINATES
FAMILIES also participated - the more the employees felt abused by their boss at work, the more unpleasant they were to their families
triggered displacement aggression
when reaction is WAY OUT OF PROPORTION to a relatively small offense
occurs when we encounter minor annoyance that we otherwise would easily tolerate/ignore
catharsis and aggression
told we need to “let off some steam”
get aggressive tendencies out of system
catharsis: prediction of frustration-aggression hypothesis
our need to aggress REDUCES after cathartic release of tension
but this is WRONG
catharsis essay study
study where essays were rated badly
participants were told to:
- hit a punching bag
- sit quietly
the least angry and least aggressive participants were those who CALMLY SAT ALONE without punching anything
findings of catharsis essay study…
CONTRADICT the original frustration-aggression hypothesis
which maintained that aggression leads to a TENSION-REDUCING CATHARSIS that reduces the need for aggression
acting aggressively often increases the tendency to aggress
why does acting aggressively often increase the tendency to aggress?
- leads to DISINHIBITION
- aggressive CUES
- cathartic release FEELS GOOD
disinhibition: why acting aggressively often increases the tendency to aggress
once we violate the rule to not hurt others
we may find it easier to attack in the future
aggressive cues: why acting aggressively often increases the tendency to aggress
seeing something we associate with violence often increases aggression
tap into aggression-related MEMORIES and EMOTIONS
cathartic release: why acting aggressively often increases the tendency to aggress
cathartic release FEELS GOOD
may REINFORCE aggressive acts
attachment styles and adult relationships
what is it that allows some to enter relationships easily, whereas for others it’s huge chore?
look at early childhood experiences
object relations theory is connected to
attachment theory
object relations theorists
Melanie Klein
Donald Winnicott
Margaret Mahler
Heinz Kout
objects relations theorists emphasize…
early childhood experiences
objects relations theorists are interested in…
infant’s relationship with important people in their lives
parents, most often mother
objects relations theorists postulate that…
child develops an UNCONSCIOUS rep of objects in their environment
way in which child INTERNALIZES the parent’s image
serves as BASIS for how they think of OTHERS when entering FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS
objects relations theory: way in which child develops unconscious rep of…
their parent’s
serves as basis for how they think of others
when entering future relationships
2 big figures in attachment theory
Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby
examined emotional bond between infants and caregivers
attachment relationship
meet our human needs to form attachment with a SUPPORTIVE/PROTECTIVE other
attachment researchers are particularly interested in…
reactions of infants who are SEPARATED from primary caregivers
3 types of attachment
- secure
- anxious-ambivalent
- avoidant
secure children
mothers are ATTENTIVE and RESPONSIVE
kids understand mother is responsive and accessible
even if she’s not physically there
they’re happy and self-confident
anxious-ambivalent children
mothers AREN’T PARTICULARLY ATTENTIVE or RESPONSIVE
children are ANXIOUS when mother leaves, they tear up
NOT EASILY CALMED by other adults
AFRAID of UNFAMILIAR situations
avoidant children
mothers AREN’T ATTENTIVE or RESPONSIVE to child
but child reacts by developing ALOOFNESS/EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT
DON’T get ANXIOUS when mother leaves
NOT INTERESTED in her attention when she RETURNS
childhood attachment styles have later…
implications
on child’s ability to enter into relationships later in life
infant forms unconscious…
WORKING MODELS
for interpersonal involvement
these are unconscious
secure individual’s working model
see themselves as LOVABLE
and others as TRUSTWORTHY
but if attachment needs = neglected, less healthy self-image results
will see themselves as unwanted by anyone
do adult attachment styles exist?
yes
confirmed by:
- surveys
- longitudinal studies
divide attachment styles among…
2 dimensions
- fear of abandonment
- fear of closeness
abandonment dimension
people who are and are not fearful that their romantic partner will abandon them
reflects INTERNAL FEELINGS of SELF WORTH
closeness dimension
how comfortable people are with closeness/intimacy
are people trustworthy and dependable?
or unreliable and rejecting?
secure: using dimension approach
low fear of abandonment
low fear of closeness
avoidant/dismissing: using dimension approach
low fear of abandonment
high fear of closeness
anxious-ambivalent/preoccupied: using dimension approach
high fear of abandonment
low fear of closeness
disoriented/fearful: using dimension approach
high fear of abandonment
high fear of closeness
secure individuals
low fear of closeness and abandonment
- comfortable with closeness
- don’t overly concern themselves about abandonment
- seek out intimate relationships comfortably
avoidant individuals
low fear of abandonment
high fear of closeness
- don’t fear abandonment
- but have deep-seated mistrust of others
- shy away from close relationships
- reluctant to trust others or become too emotionally dependent because scared of being hurt
anxious-ambivalent/preoccupied individuals
high fear of abandonment
low fear of closeness
- feel unlovable
- constant fear of abandonment
- comfortable with closeness
- seek self-acceptance (because low self worth) through becoming close with others
- vulnerable to heartbreak if partner doesn’t meet their strong intimacy needs
how do anxious-ambivalent/preoccupied people seek self-acceptance?
through becoming close with others
because they have low self esteem
disoriented/fearful individuals
high fear of closeness
high fear of abandonment
- feel unlovable
- constant fear of abandonment
- doubt that romantic involvement will provide much needed intimacy
- avoid closeness for fear of rejection
attachment styles: 3 versus 4 category model
trend in recent research towards using 4 category model
3 category model:
- secure
- avoidant
- anxious
4 category model:
- secure
- anxious-ambivalent/preoccupied
- avoidant
- disoriented/fearful
securely attached people are _____ in their romantic relationships
happier
people with secure partners are ______
happier
adults with secure styles tend to have partners with …
similar attachment styles
secure relationships are more likely to …
GET and STAY married
why are securely attached relationships better?
- have more:
- love
- commitment
- trust - able to ACCEPT/support partner despite their FAULTS
- WARMER/more INTIMATE conversations
- SHARE personal info when APPROPRIATE
characteristics of avoidant relationships
- fear of intimacy
- jealousy
- believe romance rarely lasts forever - that head over heels love is just in the movies
- less likely to show affection & share intimacy with partners
- hesitant towards deep commitment
avoidant relationships are more vulnerable to…
cheating
characteristics of anxious-ambivalent relationships
- fall in love MANY TIMES but have hard time with LONG TERM HAPPINESS they seek
- afraid of losing partner
- quickly give in to partner’s wishes to keep them happy
- stress when separated from partner
anxious-ambivalent people are more likely to…
fall in love with someone who doesn’t love them in return
anxious-ambivalent people are less likely to…
break up with partner who doesn’t meet their needs
because:
1. fear of abandonment
2. don’t believe they deserve a better relationship
avoidant individuals struggle with…
giving and seeking emotional support from partners
just when they need it most
like before a stressful experience
attachment is relatively stable over time, but…
it’s possible for people to change their style
when they enter a secure, long-lasting adult relationship
hard to know whether relationships last because…
because people have secure attachment styles
or whether people develop secure attachment styles because their relationships last
what percentage o undergrad students classified with an avoidant attachment style said they’ve never been in love?
43%
study where college students watched their dating partners evaluate physical attractiveness of others
anxious-ambivalent people = particularly likely to feel their relationship was THREATENED by the experience
both ______ and ______ adults experience heightened stress when separated from their romantic partners
avoidant
anxious-ambivalent
when are effects of attachment styles likely to surface in relationships?
when couples face STRESS in their relationship
study: 15 min discussion of unresolved relationship issue
partners discussed unresolved relationship issue for 15 minutes
- secure participants experienced FEWER PHYSIOLOGICAL indicators of stress as the conversation progressed
- for insecure individuals, EVEN SMALL relationship issues can be threatening
for insecure individuals, ______ _____ relationship issues can be threatening
even small
who tend to see more conflict in their relationships?
insecure partners
become more upset when they perceive SMALL SLIGHTS
like not being comforted when they’re feeling down
airport lounge attachment style inventory setup
- had couples in airport lounges complete ATTACHMENT STYLE INVENTORY
- then watched and CODED various behaviours (hugs, eye contact, sitting close) while couples waited for departure
airport lounge attachment style inventory RESULTS
- secure partners showed SIGNS OF CLOSENESS when one of them was leaving
- avoidant partners showed SIGNS OF PULLING AWAY as departure approached
presumably, avoidant adults were EXPERIENCING ANXIETY and FEAR related to impending partner separation
seeking emotional support study setup
lab studies looking at couple’s stress reactions
- women in one study = told they were about to go through an ANXIETY-PROVOKING EXPERIENCE
involving isolation chamber and threatening electronic equipment
seeking emotional support study results
- SECURE women sought MORE COMFORT from their partners as their ANXIETY INCREASED
- AVOIDANT women wanted LESS SUPPORT when they became anxious
- SECURE MALE PARTNERS offered MORE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT when their partners expressed anxiety
- LESS SECURE MALE PARTNERS did not
over a 2 year span, ___% of women changed…
30% of young women CHANGED their attachment style classification
this suggests that attachment style may not be as set early in life as Bowlby and others suggested
makes it hard to know whether relationships last because of secure attachment styles
or if lasting relationships cause secure attachment styles
