Adult attachment and the suppression of unwanted thoughts.

Abstract

Dismissing-avoidant adults are characterized by expressing relatively low levels of attachment-related distress. However, it is unclear whether this reflects a relative absence of covert distress or an attempt to conceal covert distress. Two experiments were conducted to distinguish between these competing explanations. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to suppression resulted in a decrease in the accessibility of abandonment-related thoughts for dismissing-avoidant adults. Experiment 2 demonstrated that attempts to suppress the attachment system resulted in decreases in physiological arousal for dismissing-avoidant adults. These experiments indicate that dismissing-avoidant adults are capable of suppressing the latent activation of their attachment system and are not simply concealing latent distress. The discussion focuses on development, cognitive, and social factors that may promote detachment.

Cites (8)

1. Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model.
   Bartholomew, Kim, Horowitz, Leonard M. · 1991 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
2. Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes
   Greenwald, Anthony G., Banaji, Mahzarin R. · 1995 · Psychological Review
3. Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory.
   Tulving, Endel, Thomson, Donald M. · 1973 · Psychological Review
4. Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples.
   Collins, Nancy L., Read, Stephen J. · 1990 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
5. Ironic processes of mental control.
   Wegner, Daniel M. · 1994 · Psychological Review
6. Biobehavioral organization in securely and insecurely attached infants
   Spangler, G., Grossmann, K. E. · 1993 · Child Development
7. Attachment styles, coping strategies, and posttraumatic psychological distress: The impact of the Gulf War in Israel.
   Mario Mikulincer, Víctor Florián, Aron Weller · 1993 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
8. Repression of emotionally tagged memories: The architecture of less complex emotions
   Hansen, Ranald D., Hansen, Christine H. · 1988 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Show all 8 references

Cited by (38)

1. The emerging field of emotion regulation: an integrative review
   Gross, James J. · 1998 · Review of General Psychology
2. Attachment Theory and Affect Regulation: The Dynamics, Development, and Cognitive Consequences of Attachment-Related Strategies
   Mikulincer, Mario, Shaver, Phillip R., Pereg, Dana · 2003 · Motivation and Emotion
3. Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions
   Fraley, R. Chris, Shaver, Phillip R. · 2000 · Review of General Psychology
4. The Attachment Behavioral System In Adulthood: Activation, Psychodynamics, And Interpersonal Processes
   Mikulincer, Mario, Shaver, Phillip R. · 2003 · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
5. Attachment-related psychodynamics
   Shaver, Phillip R., Mikulincer, Mario · 2002 · Attachment & Human Development

See all 515