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Attachment and Autonomy: midterm

Level 2 Constructs that We Learn in our Family

Fundamentals of Personality
November 14th, 1
 Overview
 Big 3 Motives
 Traits
 Identity Statuses (Intimacy status)
 Personal Concerns
 Diffuse
 Life Narrative  Foreclosed
 Moratoriu
m
 Achieved
 Attachment and Autonomy
 How we relate to close others
 How we relate to our “self”
 Attachment style and autonomous self-
regulation are distinct from Big 5
traits.
 There are reciprocal relations
between attachment and autonomy.
 Family experiences are impactful for
attachment and autonomy.
 Attachment and autonomy are
for psychotherapy
relevant 2
 Questions:
 How do psychologists
measure attachment in
children and adults?
 What impact does
attachment have on later
development?
 Are our current
relationships influenced by
the kind of attachment
we had with our mother
as infants?

3
 About your romantic relationships..
Hazen & Shaver 1987:

 Which of the following best describes your feelings?

60%
 I find it relatively easy to get close to my partner and am
comfortable depending on him (her) and having him depend on
me. I don't often worry about being abandoned or about him
getting too close to me. SECURE
 I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to my partner; I find it
difficult to trust him (her) completely, difficult to allow myself to 25%
depend on him. I am nervous when he or she gets too close, and
often, love partners want me to be more intimate than I feel
comfortable being. AVOIDANT
 I find that my partner is reluctant to get as close as I would like. I
often worry that my partner doesn‘t really love me or won't want 15%
to stay with me. I want to merge completely with my partner, and
this desire sometimes scares them away. DEPENDENT
Dimensions > types (Fraley et al., 2015). Anxiety dimension (degree
worried about rejection/abandonment by partners) & Avoidance 4
dimension (degree of discomfort with intimacy/dependence on partners)
What do we know when we know a person?

 Level 1: Traits:
Big 5 traits (plus a couple of facets)

 Level 2: Personal Concerns:

Contextualized by time, place or domain
 Motives
 Personal Projects, Strivings, Goals
 Status of Psychosocial stage resolution
 Attachment style *****

 Level 3: Identity as Life Narrative

5
Relations to Big 5 (Shaver 2006)
 Meta-analysis of a dozen studies
plus two new studies with best
measures.
 Secure: Low N, High E (esp SD), High A
 Anxious: Very High N
 Avoidant: Low E (esp SV), Low A

Key Point: Moderate empirical overlap, but ****

attachment styles predict relational outcomes
better than Big 5 traits. 6
 The grand theory of John Bowlby
 “A complex, instinctually
guided behavioral system
that has functioned
throughout human
evolution to protect infants
from predators.”
 Primary function =
protection from danger
 Secondary Function:
 Emotion regulation

7
 Attachment in development
 Normative
patterns

 Failure to
attach?
 Sign of a serious
developmental
problem genetic
 <1%

8
 Attachment Pictures

• Can still form strong attachment bond if you

can’t breastfeed
• Two things to try = skin-to-skin & kangaroo
pouch

9
 Internal working models
 Stranger Anxiety

 Secure – trust,
exploration,
base.

 Insecure –
distrust, anxiety,
pessimism.
10
Strange Situation

11
 Internal working models
 Stranger Anxiety

 Secure – trust, exploration, base.

 Distress upon leaving, easily calmed down and
happy upon return.
 Insecure – distrust, anxiety, pessimism.
 Avoidant = act like they don’t care upon
leaving or return (but physiologically they do)
 Anxious = extremely distressed upon leaving,
inconsolable upon return
12
 How to assess infant attachment?
 Strange Situation for Mary Ainsworth
12-18 mth old
 reaction to stranger &
returning mom
 Secure – 65%
 Insecure
 Avoidant, 20%
 Anxious-
Ambivalent ,15%

13
 Another category?
 Disorganized babies <1%
 Abusive/neglectful parents.
 No clear pattern of responding in strange
situation really difficult to
characterize/ interpret.
 Worst outcomes!

Worst outcomes seen for:

-Unattached children (≅1%) due to
developmental disturbance
-Disorganized babies (<1%) due to 14

neglect/abuse
Where do the differences come from?
How the mother  Key study by
interacts with the Ainsworth 1984:
child:
 Consistent  At 3 mths:
 Sensitive  Resp. to crying;
 Responsive  Affection w
holding;
 Attentive
 Enter room;
 Not Interfering or  Feeding
controlling.
15
What Developmental Outcomes Are Associated
with Security of Attachment?

 Exploration
 Task Mastery
 Emotional Adaptation
 Social Adaptation

16
 Safe Haven & Secure Base
Harry Harlow – Classic Experiment
 Secure base (from
which to explore
the environment)
and safe haven
(to return to in
times of
distress/danger)

Spent 99% of the time on the cloth

mother  Attachment ≠ Sustenance

17
Social Functioning at age 5
Srouffe 1985

Anxious subtype

18
 Key Question:
 Are our current relationships influenced by
the kind of attachment we had with our
mother as infants?

Early experiences creates a

working model of attachment Twin studies suggest it’s not
which is used throughout our genetics  early mother child
lifetime and sets expectations relationship. 19
for trust and reliability.
 Hazen & Shaver 1987:
 Which of the following best describes your feelings?
 I find it relatively easy to get close to others and am
comfortable depending on them and having them depend on 60%
me. I don't often worry about being abandoned or about
65%
someone getting too close to me.
 I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it
difficult to trust them completely, difficult to allow myself to
depend on them. I am nervous when anyone gets too close, and 25%
often, love partners want me to be more intimate than I feel 20%
comfortable being.
 I find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I
often worry that my partner doesn‘t really love me or won't 15%
want to stay with me. I want to merge completely with another
person, and this desire sometimes scares people away. 15%

20
 The most complete study:
 Simpson et al.,2007  Age 23 assessment:

 Infant attachment;  Emotional Tone of

relationship;
 Peer competence in  Observation during
teacher reports grades conflict resolution;
1,2,3  Observation during
collaborative task.
 Age 16 interview about
security in closest Diversity of
friendships sources of data
2
1
Results:

22
Simpson et al 2007 Conclusions:
 “Our experiences in adult relationships appear
to be tied in significant and meaningful ways to
experiences rooted in earlier relationships and
stages of development.”

 But, strongest & most direct impact on the

stage that immediately follows.

23
Childhood attachment and adult personality?
 Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk & Adaptation
 271 first time mothers living below poverty line;
 48% teenagers, 65% single, 42% no HS education.
 170 individuals followed 32 years since birth.
 Infant Attachment assessed at 12 and 18 months
 Only about 45% securely attached compared to normal
65%
 Big 5 traits measured at age 32
 Controlled for education levels of mother & SES

24
 Results

Adaptive social, motivational,

and affective regulation. 25
 Stability of attachment Q’s?
 Over time. r = .30.
 Across Partners. r = .40
 Selecting Mates?
 Secure with secure.
 Parenting our own children?
 Evidence of intergenerational transfer  had
secure parents = own child more likely to
be secure.
 50% display all 3 styles in different
relationships dimensions > types
26
How Does Attachment Relate to
the Two Types of WB?
 Hedonic
 Happiness
 Subjective well-being
 Eudaimonic
 To live in accord with your “daemon”
 Psychological well being
 Secure Attachment relates to
both!

27
Love Actually Ending

What is inaccurate
about these
clips?
28
 Questions:
 How do psychologists measure
attachment in children?
 What impact does attachment
have on development?
 Are our current relationships
influenced by the kind of
attachment we had with our
mother (and father) as
infants?

29
10 Minute Break
What Does it Mean to
be Autonomous?

.
 Question of the day:
What is autonomy?
1. Does it relate to attachment?
2. How can we measure it?
3. Is it similar to
independence? volition?
individualism? willingness?
non-conformity? congruence?

32
Autonomous self-regulation

33
 Overview
 Big 3 Motives
 Traits
 Identity Statuses (Intimacy status)
 Personal Concerns
 Diffuse
 Life Narrative  Foreclosed
 Moratoriu
m
 Achieved
 Attachment and Autonomy
 How we relate to close others
 How we relate to our “self”
 Attachment style and autonomous self-
regulation are distinct from Big 5
traits.
 There are reciprocal relations
between attachment and autonomy.
 Family experiences are impactful for
attachment and autonomy.
 Attachment and autonomy are
for psychotherapy
relevant 34
 Deci & Ryan 2012 definition :

 “Autonomy means to behave with a

sense of volition, willingness, and
congruence, thus acting according
to one’s true feelings.”

35
 Observational Parent-Child studies of
Autonomy & Attachment

 Ages 1 and 2
 Measure:
 Maternal sensitivity
 Maternal autonomy support during play
 Child attachment
 Child exploration and mastery

McAdams notes that the mother should be both a

secure base and a safe haven. 36
Autonomy-Support Example

37
1983

38
39
 The General Causality Orientation Scales
 You have been offered a
new position in a company
where you have worked for
some time. The first (A) I wonder if the new
question that is likely to work will be interesting?
come to mind is:
(C) Will I make more
money at this position?
(I) What if I can't live up to
the new responsibility?

40
 Another item:

You are asked to plan a  Take charge: that is, you

picnic for yourself and would make most of the
major decisions yourself. (C)
your fellow employees.
Your style for  Follow precedent: you're not
approaching this project
really up to the task so you'd
could most likely be
do it the way it's been done
characterized as:

before. (I)

 Seek participation: get inputs

41
from others who want to
make them before you make
 The Three Orientations:
 Autonomous behaviors: initiated and regulated volitionally
based on an awareness of one’s needs and integrated goals.
Unrelated to Big 5 traits

 Controlled behaviors: initiated and regulated by controls in

the environment such as reward structures or internally
controlling imperatives indicating how one “should” or
“must” behave.
Unrelated to Big 5 traits

 Impersonal behaviors are those whose initiation and

regulation are perceived to be beyond intentional control.
Impersonal = external Correlated with Neuroticism
locus of control & Social Dominance
42
 Hallmark of Autonomy: Integrated
Functioning

Integrated functioning  Integration:

in 3 areas: Coherence and
 Personality unity in one’s
 Emotional personality and
 Social experience.

• Autonomy can differ by

Derives from being …
domains
• Our orientation can Aware
change
based on the environments Non-defensive
we select/therapy
• We become more
43
autonomous over time
 Personality Integration
 Trait consistency behave in line with
traits
 Attitude-behavior consistency
behave in line with your expressed
attitudes
 Implicit/explicit motive consistency
what you believe your dominant
motive is, is likely accurate if you are
autonomous!
44
Koestner, Bernieri, & Zuckerman, 1992; Ryan & Grolnick, 1986
 Emotional integration

 Better able to
recall negative life
experiences

 Better able to
recall negative
aspects of oneself

Weinstein, Deci & Ryan, 2011; Weinstein & Hodgins, 2009 45

 Social Integration

1. General relationships

2. Intimate relationships

46
Feeney, 2007; Knee et al., 2005; Weinstein, Hodgins, & Ryan, 2010
 Hodgins et al., (1997)
 College students record interactions
with peers (across 1 week).

 Rochester Interaction Record, an

event-contingent sampling procedure
was used.

47
 Results

Conclusion: Autonomy neither negates nor conflicts

with the human need for relatedness. Rather, it allows for
more open and honest interpersonal experience.

48
 Distinguishing True Autonomy
from Pseudo-Autonomy
 So high levels of autonomy is associated
with personality integration, emotional
integration, and social integration.

 How is Autonomy often confused?

49
 Question :
What if a teenager always does
the opposite of what their parents
want them to do? Is that
autonomous?

If someone always makes decisions

entirely on their own, without
considering input from others,
would you judge them to be acting
in an autonomous manner? 50
 Deci & Ryan 2012 definition of
Autonomy:
 “Autonomy means to behave with a
sense of volition, willingness, and
congruence, thus acting according
to one’s true feelings.”

 Assessed with General Causality

Orientation Scale

51
 Henry Murray (1938) Definition of
Autonomy:

 "To resist influence 


Autonomous people want to:
"do as they please regardless of
or coercion; to defy convention",
 "disregard rules and regulations
an authority or to that hamper one's freedom."
seek freedom in a  "act contrary to customs or to
the wishes of one's parents"
new place. To strive  "look on marriage as a form
for independence" 
of bondage,"
"love adventure and change"

Pseudo-Autonomy or Reactive Autonomy 52

Murray's Autonomy relates to:

 Resistance to influence
 A strong dislike of work
environments that encourage
supportiveness and teamwork

53
 Ryan 1993
 "Autonomy does not entail 'being subject to
no external influences' (e.g., parents,
teachers, public figures). There is no possible
world that is without external influences. The
issue is whether following such influences
reflects mere obedience or coercion versus a
reflective valuing of the direction or guidance
that these inputs provide. It is in the
subjective assent to some inputs and not
others that the question of autonomy
becomes meaningful.“

54
 Koestner & Losier (1996)
Study 1: Examined Relations Among Two Forms of Autonomy in
100 women and 50 men.

Four Key Results:

 1. Reactive and Reflective Autonomy are uncorrelated.
 2. There were opposite sex differences for the two forms of
Autonomy.
 3. Interesting Relations to other scales on GCOS
**Reactive autonomy is positively related to a Control Orientation.
 4) Interesting relations to Big 5 Traits

55
 Study 2: Correlations with Big
Five
Reactive Autonomy Reflective Autonomy

 N -.07  No correlations
 E +.27** approaching signifcance
 O +.29**
 A -.54***
 C +.03

56
 Study 3
 Measured Two forms of Autonomy and Quality of Social
Interactions Over 1 Week in 30 Men and 30 Women

Reflective Reactive
Autonomy
Autonomy
Non-Authority .26* .12
Authority -.00 -.37**

57
 Koestner et al 1998 --
Race Track Study
 Taught participants how to bet on
horse racing

 Access to experts:
 Clearly credible expert
 Clearly non-credible expert

 Determine how much

followed experts based on
bets 58
 Results Race Track Study: Reliance on
Experts when making pick

Aut. vs. Pseudo & Credibility of

7 Experts
6

0
True Pseudo
Aut Credibl No Cred
e
59
 Summary
True (“reflective”) Pseudo (“reactive”)-
Autonomy Autonomy
 Autonomy means to  To resist influence or
behave with a sense of coercion; to defy an
volition, willingness, and authority or to seek
congruence, thus acting freedom in a new place.
according to one’s true To strive for
feelings. independence.
 Autonomy is listening to  This is where you are
all inputs and making going to make the
your own choices. decisions, you don’t want
anyone else to have any
input, even experts.
60
 How Does Autonomy Relate to
the Two Types of WB?
 Hedonic
 Happiness
 Subjective well-being
 Eudaimonic
 To live in accord with your “daemon”
 Psychological well being
 Autonomy relates to both!

61
 Question of the day:
What is autonomy?
1. Does it relate to attachment? YES
2. How can we measure it?
Vignettes
3. Is it similar to
independence? NO volition? YES
individualism? NO willingness? YES
non-conformity? NO congruence? YES
Read Chapter 8 for next class!
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