Testing a dual-process model of avoidant defenses

Chun, David S.; Shaver, Phillip R.; Gillath, Omri; Mathews, Andrew; Jorgensen, Terrence D.

doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2015.02.002

Cited by 21 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…In contrast, attachment-avoidance manifests in the tendency to inhibit acknowledgment of relationship threats. Defensive exclusion during information processing (e.g., perception, encoding, appraisal), memorization and retrieval (Chun, Shaver, Gillath, Mathews, & Jorgensen, 2015;Fraley & Brumbaugh, 2007) leads to higher emotional inhibition and suppression in avoidant individuals. Hence, avoidant individuals tend to be kept from noticing their own attachment-related distress, and may report fewer transgressions in their relationships.…”

Section: Attachment and Perceived Transgression Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment predicts transgression frequency and reactions in romantic couples’ daily life

Martin

Hill

Allemand

2018

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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This study examined the associations between individual differences in romantic attachment and transgression frequency and reactions in daily life. Data from both members of the heterosexual relationship were collected to examine how a persons' attachment orientation influenced their own and their partner's perceived transgressions and reactions to these transgressions. Across 10 days, 139 heterosexual couples reported on perceived transgressions by their partner. If transgressions occurred, they also reported on subsequent reactions such as forgiveness and rumination. Actor-partner interdependence models were used to investigate actor and partner effects of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance on the number of experienced transgressions and reactions to transgressions. Attachment anxiety was not predictive with respect to any of the outcomes of interest. Higher attachment avoidance predicted fewer transgressions and more revenge in reaction to transgressions in men but not in women. Higher levels of attachment avoidance predicted more avoidance and rumination following a transgression. Additionally, a partner effect from attachment avoidance to avoidant reaction was observed. Findings are discussed regarding how attachment may account for differences in appraisal processes and emotion regulation strategies when confronted with relational transgressions.

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Section: Attachment and Perceived Transgression Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment predicts transgression frequency and reactions in romantic couples’ daily life

Martin

Hill

Allemand

2018

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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“…As there was no association of attachment avoidance with overall maternal verbosity, this indicates that mothers higher in avoidance may exhibit a difference in quality, rather than quantity, of infant-directed utterances, demonstrating less of a mental state focus than their less avoidant counterparts. This pattern of associations is consistent with the deactivating strategy associated with this attachment dimension (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2012), and may be underpinned by emotionally-avoidant processing biases (Chun et al, 2015;Edelstein & Gillath, 2008;Guerrero, 1996;Tucker & Anders, 1998) and reduced mental state focus (Bourne et al, 2014;Meins et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…As hypothesised, mother's greater maternal attachment avoidance predicted her lower use of appropriate mind-related comments during a play interaction with her child, with this possibly reflecting a deactivating attachment strategy for these mothers (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991;, with associated avoidant attentional biases (Chun et al, 2015) and reduced mental state focus (Bourne et al, 2014;Meins et al, 2008). While attachment anxiety was not hypothesised to be associated with maternal mind-mindedness, it was unexpected to find that greater endorsement of this attachment dimension predicted higher appropriate mindmindedness in mothers, which possibly reflects a hyperactivating strategy and enhanced vigilance for attachment-and affective-related information (Shaver & Mikulincer, 2002), particularly at the generally low levels of attachment anxiety reported by the mothers in this sample.…”

Section: Maternal Mind-mindedness Buffered the Ongoing Effects Of A Nmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Attachment theory suggests that an individual may develop attachment avoidance following early experiences of caregivers consistently ignoring or otherwise failing to respond to his or her needs for comfort (Bowlby, 1988b). These individuals may internalise working models based on a low confidence in the likelihood of others meeting their emotional needs, adopting a deactivating strategy to manage distress without relying on the support of others (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991;, including denying negative emotions and directing attention away from emotional stimuli (Chun, Shaver, Gillath, Mathews, & Jorgensen, 2015). Avoidant parents may use deactivating strategies when interacting with their children (Jones et al, 2015), including lower responsiveness to child distress during an inoculation (Edelstein et al, 2004), lower observed sensitivity during routine caregiving activities at home (Selcuk et al, 2010), less positive feelings about physical affection with her child (Chopik et al, 2014), and reduced self-reported negative and positive emotions during caregiving interactions (Nelson-Coffey, Borelli, & River, 2017).…”

Section: The Predictors and Correlates Of Maternal Mind-mindednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, higher attachment avoidance is associated with greater discomfort with closeness and tendency to avoid or dismiss the importance of close relationships (Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994;. Individuals high on this dimension may employ a deactivating strategy to manage distress, including denial and attentional biases away from attachment-related and affective information (Chun et al, 2015;Edelstein & Gillath, 2008;Guerrero, 1996;Tucker & Anders, 1998), and reduced tendency to reflect on and consider others in terms of underlying mental states (Bourne et al, 2014;Meins et al, 2008). Accordingly, adult attachment style may influence the way in which an individual attends to, perceives and processes social and affective information (Dykas & Cassidy, 2011;Schachner, Shaver, & Mikulincer, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to a natural disaster during pregnancy and young children’s behaviour: prenatal and postnatal pathways, and the role of maternal mind-mindedness

Lequertier¹

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Mothers experiencing symptoms of stress and distress are more likely to have children who exhibit behavioural problems, and there are a multitude of processes by which this vulnerability may be conferred. A number of environmental mechanisms may explain this intergenerational transmission of risk, including an impact of a mother's emotional state on the conditions of the prenatal and postnatal environment; however, disentangling these effects from genetic heritability and residual confounding constitutes a major methodological challenge. A natural disaster represents a natural experiment, enabling the investigation of the unique effects of an independent prenatal stressor on child development, whilst minimising the likelihood of these alternative explanations. This thesis investigates the prenatal and postnatal processes associated with individual differences in young children's behavioural problems following maternal exposure to a severe flooding event during pregnancy. Specifically, it examines the direct effects of exposure to flood-related objective hardship and maternal posttraumatic stress symptoms for infant socialemotional competence and behavioural problems at 16 months, as well as testing prenatal and postnatal pathways linking flood exposure to internalising and externalising behavioural problems at 30 months. A component of maternal caregiving, maternal mind-mindedness, is tested for its potential to moderate the direct prenatal or indirect postnatal effects of flood exposure during pregnancy on child outcomes. Finally, the predictors of individual differences in maternal mind-mindedness are investigated, including maternal stress during pregnancy, concurrent mental health, and attachment style. Mothers (N = 230) pregnant in January 2011, during the floods in Queensland, Australia, completed measures of their flood-related objective hardship and posttraumatic stress symptoms, as well as their adult attachment style. At 16 months, mothers and infants attended a laboratory visit where they engaged in a joint play interaction. Mothers completed measures of depression and anxiety symptoms and their infant's social-emotional and behavioural problems and competence. At 30 months, mothers completed measures of their own depression symptoms and their toddlers' internalising and externalising problems.Greater flood-related maternal PTS symptoms were associated with reduced maternallyreported infant competence at 16 months. A sex difference in mothers' reports of infant behaviour problems emerged at higher levels of maternal objective hardship. Additionally, iii greater PTS was associated with more maternally-reported behaviour problems at 16 months in boys; however, attenuation by concurrent maternal depressive symptoms suggested a postnatal risk pathway through worse maternal emotional functioning postnatally. Subsequent moderated serial mediation analyses testing this postnatal risk pathway found that increased flood-related objective hardship was indirectly associated with greater maternally-reported toddle...

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