Cerebellar Engagement In The Attachment Behavioral System

Brain structural bases of individual differences in attachment are not yet fully clarified. Given the evidence of relevant cerebellar contribution to cognitive, affective, and social functions, the present research was aimed at investigating potential associations between attachment dimensions (through the Attachment Style Questionnaire, ASQ) and cerebellar macro- and micro-structural measures (Volumetric and Diffusion Tensor Imaging data). In a sample of 79 healthy subjects, cerebellar and neocortical volumetric data were correlated with ASQ scores at the voxel level within specific Regions Of Interest. Also, correlations between ASQ scores and age, years of education, anxiety and depression levels were performed to control for the effects of sociodemographic and psychological variables on neuroimaging results.Positive associations between scores of the Preoccupation with Relationships (ASQ subscale associated to insecure/anxious attachment) and cortical volume were found in the cerebellum (right lobule VI and left Crus 2) and neocortex (right medial OrbitoFrontal Cortex, OFC) regions. Cerebellar contribution to the attachment behavioral system reflects the more general cerebellar engagement in the regulation of emotional and social behaviors. Cerebellar properties of timing, prediction, and learning well integrate with OFC processing supporting the regulation of attachment experiences. Cerebellar areas might be rightfully included in the attachment behavioral system.

Sociality of Future Outcomes Moderates The Effects Of Warmth And Competence On Social Optimism Bias - A Pre-Registered Study

People are overoptimistic about the future of those they like or admire (social optimism bias), expecting significantly more desirable than undesirable outcomes. By contrast, they are pessimistic about those they don’t like. To operationalize the (dis)like of social targets, warmth and competence are used as two universal dimensions of social perception. In this pre-registered study, we replicate previous findings while adding two new levels of complexity. First, we make the distinction between the sociality of future outcomes: “alone” outcomes (e.g., enjoying a quiet afternoon by oneself) and “social” outcomes (e.g., enjoying a vacation with the significant other). Second, we investigate the effect of attachment styles on one’s expectations for alone and social outcomes towards the social targets. In line with our hypotheses, the sociality of outcomes moderates both the additive and the multiplicative effects of the warmth and competence of social targets on social optimism bias. Diverging from our hypotheses, we find that attachment anxiety and avoidance do not influence the effects of warmth and competence on social optimism bias. However, exploratory analyses revealed that attachment dimensions buffer the magnitude of social optimism bias for highly self-relevant social targets but do not impact a social pessimism bias for irrelevant targets.

Determinants and Consequences of Citizens' E-Participation

This article aims to discuss the determinants of digital active citizenship behaviors such as the e-participation using reporting urban apps. The article makes a comparative analysis between two groups of citizens: a) 98 users of a reporting app (MyHomeCity) who were selected for the case study); and b) 148 non-users of reporting apps. Users of MyHomeCity revealed higher scores for the satisfaction for life in the city, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and perceived happiness, for all place attachment dimensions and all digital citizenship dimensions except for political activism (online and offline) and critical perspective. The probability of being an app user is predicted by satisfaction for living in the city, place identity (attachment), and digital citizenship dimensions. The implications for public decision makers, app developers, and citizens' organizations are discussed.

Emotional intelligence and adult attachment: effects on problematic smartphone usage

Smartphone usage can become problematic when individuals have difficulties in emotional regulation. To clarify risk factors for problematic smartphone usage, the study had three objectives: To analyze the effect of emotional intelligence and attachment dimensions on smartphone usage; to evaluate differences by types and styles of attachment in problematic smartphone usage; to explore the roles of sex and age. For this purpose, the Smartphone Dependency and Addiction Scale, the Wong & Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Adult Attachment Questionnaire were used. The study included 552 young adults (M = 21.79, SD = 2.66; 74.1% women) selected by purposive sampling, and classified in Generation Z and Millennials. The results showed that low awareness of one's emotions (emotional intelligence), poor self-esteem and need for approval, hostile conflict resolution, rancor, and possessiveness (attachment) predicted problematic smartphone usage. Furthermore, insecure type of attachment and negative styles such as fearfulness were closely related to smartphone addiction. Sex had some explanatory power with respect to device use, with women showing higher levels of problematic smartphone usage. In conclusion, the findings support the importance of the secure and positive attachment system, and being able to evaluate and regulate one’s own emotions for preventing problematic smartphone use. El uso del smartphone puede tornarse problemático cuando se presentan dificultades de regulación emocional. En la investigación se plantearon tres objetivos: analizar el efecto de las dimensiones de inteligencia emocional y el apego sobre el uso del smartphone; evaluar las diferencias en el uso problemático del móvil atendiendo a tipos y estilos de apego; explorar el efecto del sexo y la edad. Se utilizaron la Escala de Dependencia y Adicción al Smartphone, la Escala de Inteligencia Emocional de Wong & Law y el Cuestionario de Apego adulto. El estudio incluyó a 552 jóvenes (M = 21.79, SD = 2.66; 74.1% mujeres) seleccionados por muestreo intencional y clasificados en Generación Z y Millennials. Una baja conciencia de las propias emociones (inteligencia emocional), una pobre autoestima y necesidad de aprobación, la resolución hostil de conflictos, rencor y posesividad (apego) predecían el uso problemático. Además, el tipo inseguro de apego y los estilos negativos como el temeroso se relacionan más con este uso problemático. El sexo aportaba cierta capacidad explicativa, siendo las mujeres las que mostraron más problemas. Los hallazgos apoyan la relevancia de construir un apego seguro y positivo y de ser capaces de evaluar las propias emociones para prevenir los usos problemáticos del smartphone.

Attachment, Emotion, and Physiological Coregulation Among Elderly Mothers and Their Adult Daughters

Examination of physiological coregulation among marital partners suggests a dynamic interplay between partner physiology. Further, attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance mediate this coregulation during conflict. This study examined the role of attachment and race in predicting physiological coregulation for mothers and their adult daughters during emotional discussions. A sample of 23 African American and 17 Caucasian mother-daughter pairs (aged 26 to 83) completed interview sessions and Relationships Questionnaires. Pairs engaged in discussions (neutral, conflict, happy), while monitoring heart rate. HR difference scores were computed between pairs (bps; 0 meant no difference). Multiple Regressions revealed attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted HR variation between pairs for the neutral and happy discussions, differently by racial group (F(7,33)=3.297, p < 0.01). For African American women, increased anxiety predicted increased HR variation during neutral and happy discussions, whereas for Caucasian women, increased avoidance predicted increased HR variation. However, during conflict anxiety singularly predicted increased HR covariation (b = 5.03, p = 0.01), for both groups. Low anxiety and low avoidance predicted physiological coregulation (lower HR variance between pairs). Increased anxious attachment predicted partner dysregulation (increased HR variation between pairs) across all 3 discussions, moderated by avoidance for the Caucasian women. Results suggest attachment plays a role in regulating physiology under emotional stress, and that there may be important cultural differences in this relationship. Further examination will explore the dynamic interplay between attachment and physiological coregulation across adulthood and later life.

Refining the Assessment of Entitlement in Romantic Relationships: The Sense of Relational Entitlement Scale—Revised (SRE-R)

Objective: A subjective sense of entitlement is strongly evoked in the context of romantic relationships. A pathological sense of entitlement results from believing a partner should fulfill all one’s needs and wishes (inflated) or that the expression of genuine needs is illegitimate (restricted). This study aimed to validate a revised, improved version of the Sense of Relational Entitlement scale entitled the Sense of Relational Entitlement scale—Revised (SRE-R). We hypothesized it would have good factor structure and convergent validity, and that attachment dimensions and relationship indices would predict both inflated and restricted subscales.Method: The SRE-R was completed by 854 Israeli adults (8.3% males) aged 31.94 ± 8.02. A subset (n = 629) also completed measures of attachment (ECR-S) and 447 completed measures of relational authenticity, pathological concern, and relational obsessions and compulsions.Results: CFA confirmed two factors, inflated and restricted sense of relational entitlement. Relational obsessive-compulsive symptoms and pathological concern predicted an inflated sense of entitlement, and attachment avoidance, pathological concern, and authenticity in relationships predicted a restricted sense of entitlement.Discussion: The SRE-R is a valid and useful tool to assess sense of entitlement in romantic relationships and should be examined in diverse samples and cultures.

Attachment-related differences in dispositional anger and its experience and expression following an insult-based anger induction

Variation in how individuals experience and express anger has been linked to their attachment style, particularly in close interpersonal contexts. However, little research has investigated attachment-related differences in anger and aggression in non-relational settings. This multi-method investigation reports two studies. The first investigated associations between adult attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) in 270 participants. The second describes a lab-based anger provocation task, based on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, which examined associations between attachment dimensions and pre-post test change in self-reported anger, physiological responses, anger suppression and aggressive responding (N = 77). Results from study 1 indicate that attachment anxiety was a significant independent predictor of trait anger, while attachment avoidance was not. There were no significant interaction effects, suggesting distinct effects of attachment dimensions on anger. In study 2, attachment avoidance was negatively related to anger change scores from baseline to post-provocation and positively to anger suppression (measured by the discrepancy between self-report and physiological measures). Attachment anxiety was positively associated with aggressive responding. In summary, the findings support the high arousal-low control style previously associated with attachment anxiety, evidenced by elevated trait anger and higher aggressive responding. They also align with previous studies that support an association between attachment avoidance and emotion suppression, suggesting that the attachment framework can be usefully extended to understand anger and aggression in non-relational contexts.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ATTACHMENT DIMENSIONS AND AFFECT IN ADULTHOOD

This research was conducted during the state of emergency in response to coronavirus pandemic with the aim to further examine the relationships between attachment dimensions – attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance – and affect and to test the mediating role of psychological flexibility in these relationships. The sample which was obtained by using the snowball sampling method consists of 1515 adults from the Republic of Srpska, entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (70.4% females) aged between 18 and 65 who filled an online questionnaire battery. Attachment dimensions were measured by the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), affect by the Negative and Positive Affect Scale (NAPAS), and psychological flexibility by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). The results indicate that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance correlate positively with the negative affect and correlate negatively with the positive affect. Furthermore, the results showed that the relationships between attachment dimensions and negative affect can be explained through psychological flexibility – higher values of attachment dimensions contribute to lower psychological flexibility, which then leads to higher negative affect. The obtained findings have been considered in the light of theoretical and practical importance.

How Our Caregivers Shape Who We Are: The Seven Dimensions of Attachment at the Core of Personality

Psychology defines personality as the stable traits of an individual, and cognitive research suggests that a set of core beliefs is at the root of these traits. From this perspective, two major questions remain unanswered: (1) What are the core beliefs that make up personality? (2) How are they acquired? An interesting answer is provided by attachment theory, according to which attachment is at the basis of personality. The current theoretical formulation, however, does not sufficiently clarify the relationship between the two. Adopting a cognitive-clinical approach, we put forward a novel version of attachment theory, arguing that it can better account for the relationship between attachment and personality, thereby providing more convincing answers to questions (1) and (2). In particular, we propose that: (A) attachment information is acquired over seven dimensions; (B) the acquisition of each dimension is induced by a specific caregiving feature and (C) realized through a specific acquisition mechanism – imprinting. In a nutshell, we propose an Attachment-Personality Model (APM) according to which seven attachment dimensions constitute the knowledge core of personality. We finally discuss the significant implications of the model, especially its clinical application in terms of conception, assessment, and treatment of mental disorders. The model can be empirically tested, and we suggest three ways to do that.