Anxious-preoccupied attachment
Anxious-preoccupied attachment has been linked to various psychological and interpersonal difficulties. For example, research has suggested that anxious-preoccupied attachment may mediate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and borderline personality disorder.[1]
Characteristics
[edit]Individuals with an anxious-preoccupied attachment style are characterized by a strong desire for closeness and intimacy in their relationships, but they often experience high levels of anxiety and uncertainty about the availability and responsiveness of their attachment figures.[2] This attachment style is associated with a negative model of the self and a positive model of others, leading to a preoccupation with relationships and a fear of abandonment.[3]
Anxious-preoccupied individuals tend to have a heightened sensitivity to emotional cues and a tendency to perceive more pain intensity and unpleasantness in others.[4] This may be due to the projection of their own "actual-self" traits onto their perception of others.[5] They tend to be more concerned about reaching their therapeutic goals and perceive less positive outcomes from their most recent crying episode in therapy, especially when the relationship with their therapist is not strong.[2]
Individuals with this attachment style tend to have a negative self-view and a vacillating or split view of others, which can contribute to interpersonal dysfunction.[6]
Anxious-preoccupied individuals have more opportunities to reflect on their emotions, leading to a heightened ability to understand and express their feelings.[7] They may rely on self-silencing strategies and restrict the expression of negative emotions, particularly in the context of close relationships.[8]
Causes
[edit]The anxious-preoccupied attachment style has been associated with a heightened vigilance towards emotionally significant social cues, as evidenced by increased activation in the amygdala during social appraisal tasks.[9] This may contribute to the tendency to be overly concerned about the availability and responsiveness of attachment figures.
Research
[edit]Parenting research has shown that preoccupied parents tend to display more hostile and less affectionate parenting attitudes compared to securely attached parents.[10]
In terms of age differences, studies have found that older adults tend to have lower levels of preoccupied attachment compared to younger adults.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Frias, Alvaro; Palma, Carol; Farriols, Núria; Gonzalez, Laura; Horta, Anna (2016). "Anxious adult attachment may mediate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and borderline personality disorder". Personality and Mental Health. 10 (4): 274–284. doi:10.1002/pmh.1348. ISSN 1932-863X. PMID 27604841.
- ^ a b Genova, Federica; Zingaretti, Pietro; Gazzillo, Francesco; Tanzilli, Annalisa; Lingiardi, Vittorio; Katz, Michael; Hilsenroth, Mark (March 2021). "Patients' crying experiences in psychotherapy and relationship with working alliance, therapeutic change and attachment styles". Psychotherapy. 58 (1): 160–171. doi:10.1037/pst0000339. ISSN 1939-1536. PMID 33856858.
- ^ Pan, Yangu; Zhang, Dajun; Liu, Yanling; Ran, Guangming; Teng, Zhaojun (2017-03-01). "The effects of attachment style and security priming on the perception of others' pain". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 34 (2): 184–208. doi:10.1177/0265407515627509. ISSN 0265-4075.
- ^ Katz, Michael; Ziv-Beiman, Sharon; Rokah, Nurit; Hilsenroth, Mark (2022). "Crying in psychotherapy among Israeli patients and its relation to the working alliance, therapeutic change and attachment style". Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 22 (2): 439–457. doi:10.1002/capr.12458. ISSN 1746-1405.
- ^ Pan, Yangu; Zhang, Dajun; Liu, Yanling; Ran, Guangming; Teng, Zhaojun (2017-03-01). "The effects of attachment style and security priming on the perception of others' pain". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 34 (2): 184–208. doi:10.1177/0265407515627509. ISSN 0265-4075.
- ^ Choi-Kain, Lois W.; Fitzmaurice, Garrett M.; Zanarini, Mary C.; Laverdière, Olivier; Gunderson, John G. (November 2009). "The Relationship Between Self-Reported Attachment Styles, Interpersonal Dysfunction, and Borderline Personality Disorder". The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 197 (11): 816–821. doi:10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181bea56e. ISSN 0022-3018. PMID 19996719.
- ^ Wearden, Alison J.; Lamberton, Naomi; Crook, Nicola; Walsh, Victoria (2005-03-01). "Adult attachment, alexithymia, and symptom reporting: An extension to the four category model of attachment". Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 58 (3): 279–288. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2004.09.010. ISSN 0022-3999. PMID 15865953.
- ^ Winterheld, Heike A. (2016). "Calibrating Use of Emotion Regulation Strategies to the Relationship Context: An Attachment Perspective". Journal of Personality. 84 (3): 369–380. doi:10.1111/jopy.12165. ISSN 1467-6494. PMID 25643648.
- ^ Vrtička, Pascal; Andersson, Frédéric; Grandjean, Didier; Sander, David; Vuilleumier, Patrik (2008-08-06). "Individual Attachment Style Modulates Human Amygdala and Striatum Activation during Social Appraisal". PLOS ONE. 3 (8): e2868. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.2868V. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002868. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 2478709. PMID 18682729.
- ^ Kim, Do Hoon; Kang, Na Ri; Kwack, Young Sook (2019-01-01). "Differences in Parenting Stress, Parenting Attitudes, and Parents' Mental Health According to Parental Adult Attachment Style". Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 30 (1): 17–25. doi:10.5765/jkacap.180014. ISSN 1225-729X. PMC 7289495. PMID 32595316.
- ^ Segal, Daniel L.; Needham, Tracy N.; Coolidge, Frederick L. (2009-09-01). "Age Differences in Attachment Orientations among Younger and Older Adults: Evidence from Two Self-Report Measures of Attachment". The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 69 (2): 119–132. doi:10.2190/AG.69.2.c. ISSN 0091-4150. PMID 19960862.
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