Defence and safety: Their function in social behaviour and psychopathology

Abstract

This paper suggests that our intuitive use and understanding of the concepts defence and safety can be opened up to more systematic study and theory. This may provide a powerful framework for biopsychosocial approaches in clinical psychology. Defence and safety can be seen as two fundamental, evolutionary adaptive, information-organizing systems. The operation of these two systems has major effects on biological patterns, social behaviour, relationships and the maturation of self-constructs. It is suggested that many forms of psychopathology represent the activation of evolved, defensive strategies. This paper explores the organization and operation of these two systems and attempts to integrate data from neuropsychological work with ideas from evolutionary theory and social psychology on the effects of threat sensitivity and defensiveness, and safety. It is suggested that interpersonal threats are the most common sources of human defensive behaviour and these are often about separation-rejection or power and subordination. In the latter part of the paper discussion will be on the way people try to create safe environments by putting others down, or by submitting to more powerful others.

Female Gaze Behaviour, Status and the Menstrual Cycle: An Exploratory Study

“…In some cases, subordination in a social interaction has been found to result in eye-gaze avoidance (Gilbert, 1993;Harper, 1985). One explanation for why this might be proposes that individuals are believed to avoid eye-contact as a result of shame due to losing rank or becoming subordinate (Wicker, Payne, & Morgan, 1983).…”

“…On one hand, subordinates have been found to focus more visual attention towards a dominant individual (Dovidio et al, 1988). Contrastingly, low social rank has been linked with submissive behaviour and eye-gaze avoidance where subordinates will not look directly at the dominant individual (Gilbert, 1993;Harper, 1985;Setchell & Wickings, 2005). The relationship between gaze behaviour and status disparity in human females is rendered more difficult to interpret when menstrual cycle effects and oral contraceptive use are considered.…”

Personality Correlates of Co-Witness Suggestibility

“…Namely, both introverts and individuals with a high level of wanted control tend to be submissive in nature (Gilbert & Allan, 1994;Schutz, 1958). Individuals with submissive personalities are more likely to exhibit perceptions of inferior social rank and are therefore, more likely to conform to those that they perceive as being more powerful (Gilbert, 1993).…”

“…The relationship between Wanted Control and co-witness suggestibility suggests that self-confidence and perceived social rank may be key mediators for this form of informational influence (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955;Di Vesta, 1959;Gilbert, 1993;Kaplan & Miller, 1987). It can be inferred that by observing these characteristics directly, researchers may be able to develop a more reliable measure for predicting co-witness suggestibility.…”

A New Therapeutic Community: Development of a Compassion‐Focussed and Contextual Behavioural Environment

“…Safeness, however, depicts an open explorative attention and is focussed on slowing and also growing and developing. In safe environments (Bowlby's safe base), people take risks, can engage with potential frightening things and try new things; in threatening environments, people monitor both threat and their safety and are less creative and open (Gilbert, 1993).…”