A network perspective on real-life threat: Complex associations between trait and situational anxiety, stress, and individual approach-avoidance tendencies

Anxiety and approach-avoidance conflicts are crucial factors influencing mental and physical health, especially when environments are stressful. Their interplay is modulated by multiple state and trait factors. Therefore, focusing on some specific associations, which represents the dominant approach in most previous work on anxiety and avoidance, can only provide limited insights and does not capture the whole complexity of the interaction patterns between psychological factors. This study applied graph-theoretical network analysis to investigate associations between self-reported trait anxiety, approach and avoidance tendencies, situational anxiety, stress symptoms, perceived threat, perceived positive consequences of approach, and avoidance behavior in situations of real-life threat. 541 participants (218 psychotherapy patients, 323 participants from the general community) completed an online survey assessing threat-related traits and states, and responses towards public situations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting psychological network revealed a complex pattern with positive (e.g., between trait anxiety, avoidance motivation, and avoidance behavior) and negative associations (e.g., between approach and avoidance motivation). The patient and community subsample networks were not significantly different, but descriptive effects may inform future research. Our study shows that network analysis provides a promising tool to get comprehensive insights into complex associations between state and trait factors influencing psychological health.

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Approach-avoidance motivation in personality: Approach and avoidance temperaments and goals.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ◽

10.1037/0022-3514.82.5.804 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 82 (5) ◽

pp. 804-818 ◽

Cited By ~ 781

Author(s):

Andrew J. Elliot ◽

Todd M. Thrash

Keyword(s):

Approach And Avoidance ◽

Avoidance Motivation ◽

Approach Avoidance

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HIGH BAS AND LOW BIS IN OVERCONFIDENCE, AND THEIR IMPACT ON MOTIVATION AND SELF-EFFICACY AFTER POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PERFORMANCE

Primenjena psihologija ◽

10.19090/pp.2017.3.297-312 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 297 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dino Krupić

Keyword(s):

Self Efficacy ◽

Approach And Avoidance ◽

Sensitivity To Reward ◽

Performance Outcome ◽

Avoidance Motivation ◽

Self Confidence ◽

Reinforcement Sensitivity ◽

Approach Avoidance ◽

The Relationship ◽

Sensitivity To Punishment

Self-confidence, motivation, and performance outcome are vital for goal-directed behaviour. However, people do not react to a positive and negative performance in the same way. This study examines (a) the relationship between self-confidence and approach/avoidance motivation, and (b) how approach- and avoidance-oriented individuals respond to a performance outcome. The study was conducted on 93 participants. The first part of the study examined the relationship between self-confidence and approach/avoidance motivation within Reinforcement sensitivity theory, while the second part examined changes in motivation and self-efficiency in overconfident, avoidance- and approach-oriented individuals, following the positive and negative performance. Approach and avoidance tendencies were assessed by Reinforcement Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ) and Sensitivity to Punishment Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). Correlational analysis showed that the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) correlated positively, while Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) and Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) correlated negatively with confidence. In addition, moderated regression analysis showed that (a) high BIS, SP and SR individuals were strongly demotivated following the negative performance, (b) while overconfident and high BAS individuals maintained their initial motivation. On the other hand, motivation in high SR, but not in the high BAS and overconfident individuals, increased after the positive performance. None of the scales predicted the change of self-efficacy either after the positive or negative performance. High BAS and low BIS in overconfident individuals may explain why they strive more toward the final goal despite drawbacks. The theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed in the paper.

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Examining the role of approach-avoidance and autonomous-controlled motivation in predicting goal progress over time

10.31234/osf.io/bs28w ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kaitlyn M. Werner ◽

Marina Milyavskaya ◽

Richard Koestner

Keyword(s):

Model Comparison ◽

Autonomous Motivation ◽

Approach And Avoidance ◽

Goal Progress ◽

Avoidance Motivation ◽

Controlled Motivation ◽

Bayesian Model Comparison ◽

Approach Avoidance ◽

Over Time

In the present research, we examined the role of approach-avoidance and autonomous-controlled motivation in predicting goal progress over time. At the beginning of the semester, participants (n1 = 240; n2 = 159) identified goals that they planned to pursue and reported their motivation. At the end of the semester, they indicated how much progress they made on each goal. Multilevel analyses confirmed our hypothesis that autonomous motivation was the most consistent predictor of goal progress, especially at the within-person level. That is, people made more progress on goals that were pursued for autonomous reasons compared to their other goals, whereas controlled, approach, and avoidance motivation were unrelated to goal progress. Across both studies, interactions between autonomous-controlled and approach-avoidance were inconsistent. Bayesian model comparison further substantiated our finding that autonomous motivation was the best predictor of goal progress.

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Instruction-Based Approach-Avoidance Effects

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000282 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 161-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Pieter Van Dessel ◽

Jan De Houwer ◽

Anne Gast ◽

Colin Tucker Smith

Keyword(s):

Implicit Association Test ◽

Avoidance Training ◽

Social Groups ◽

Implicit Association ◽

Approach And Avoidance ◽

Evaluative Priming ◽

Blacks And Whites ◽

Approach Avoidance ◽

Implicit And Explicit ◽

Explicit Measures

Prior research suggests that repeatedly approaching or avoiding a certain stimulus changes the liking of this stimulus. We investigated whether these effects of approach and avoidance training occur also when participants do not perform these actions but are merely instructed about the stimulus-action contingencies. Stimulus evaluations were registered using both implicit (Implicit Association Test and evaluative priming) and explicit measures (valence ratings). Instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were observed for relatively neutral fictitious social groups (i.e., Niffites and Luupites), but not for clearly valenced well-known social groups (i.e., Blacks and Whites). We conclude that instructions to approach or avoid stimuli can provide sufficient bases for establishing both implicit and explicit evaluations of novel stimuli and discuss several possible reasons for why similar instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were not found for valenced well-known stimuli.

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