The relationships of antisocial behavior with attachment styles, autonomy‐connectedness, and alexithymia

Abstract

The present study was aimed at investigating the relationships among attachment styles, autonomy-connectedness (self-awareness, sensitivity to others, and capacity for managing new situations), alexithymia, and antisocial behavior among 202 college students (67 men and 135 women). We were particularly interested in sex differences in the levels of these variables as well as their associations. Sex differences were expected in types of insecure attachment styles, patterns of autonomy-connectedness, and levels of self-reported antisocial and passive-aggressive behavior. All expected sex differences were indeed found. Furthermore, the model that we hypothesized was partly confirmed: For men, anxious attachment had a stronger direct and positive effect on antisocial behavior than for women, and the positive effect of anxious attachment on passive-aggressive behavior was smaller for women than for men. Interestingly, capacity for managing new situations had a main and mediating effect on antisocial behavior. Sensitivity to others appeared as a mediator between anxious attachment style and passive-aggressive behavior. Contrary to expectations, fantasizing (a component of alexithymia) had a strong, negative association with antisocial behavior. The results are discussed against the background of other recent findings concerning alexithymia and autonomy- connectedeness.

Autonomy-Connectedness and Gender

“…Our results clearly confirm the gender difference in autonomy-connectedness that we found with the ACS-30 in previous studies with non-random non-clinical as well as clinical samples (Bekker 1993;Bekker and van Assen 2006;Bekker and Belt 2006;Bekker et al 2007;Bekker et al under review). A large gender difference was found in sensitivity to others, with women being more sensitive to others than men.…”

“…For our domain, the field of clinical psychology, we consider differences in sensitivity to others between women and men very meaningful as they may be an important key to understanding the gender differences in prevalence of various mental disorders: at one pole of the spectrum the antisocial and other externalising behavioural problems that are observed far more often in men than in women, and on the other the anxiety-, eating -, and mood disorders with their higher prevalence in women than in men (APA 2000). As explained earlier, some of our clinical studies namely indicated that relatively high levels of sensitivity to others as measured with the ACS-30) were associated with anxiety and depression (Bekker and Belt 2006) and with eating disordered behaviour (Bekker et al under review), whereas relatively low levels of sensitivity to others were related to antisocial behaviour (Bekker et al 2007). Because (in)sensitivity to others would indeed make the difference, the norm scores constructed here might be useful in further detecting (and finally preventing) the pathways leading to both extremes.…”

“…Whereas over-sensitivity to others might play an important role in mental disorders occurring more frequently in women than in men, under-sensitivity to others might substantially affect psychopathology with a higher prevalence in men. For example, antisocial behaviour might be affected by extreme tendencies toward detachment and separation, i.e., by under-sensitivity to others, especially to potential victims (e.g., Bekker et al 2007;Hoffmann et al 2004).…”

Justification of Cyber-Harassment In Terms of Digital Media Literacy

“…24,25 Pek çok çalışmada duygusal sağırlık şiddete yatkınlık, agresif davranışlar ve anti-sosyal davranışlar için bir açıklayıcı olarak bulunmuş, 26,25 ilk kez 1967 yılında Sifneos tarafından tanımlanmış ve dilimize "duygular için söz yokluğu" şek-linde çevrilmiştir. Duygusal sağırlığın en temel özellikleri duyguların farkındalığında azalma, duyguları ifade etmekte güçlük çekme, duygu ve düşünce arasında bir ilişki kuramama, duygularını adlandıramama, hayatı çok mekanik yaşama ve beden dili kullanımında zorluk yaşa-madır.…”

“…28 Şiddet ya iç-güdüsel ya da sadece çevresel etmenlerden etkilenen bir olgu olarak da görülebilmektedir. 18 Kimi araştırmacılar şiddeti bireyin çocuklukta ebeveynleri ile kurduğu bağlanma ilişkisi ile açıklarken 25 kimi araştır-macılar da 24 insanın doğuştan "hastalıklı" olarak doğduğunu belirtmektedirler.…”