Lessard, Amanda THE ROLE OF SELF-REGULATION IN ADULT ATTACHMENT RELATED PROCESSES. 2015. Radford University, Thesis. Radford University Scholars' Repository.
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Abstract
The present study tests whether activation of the attachment system among dismissing individuals will contribute to both self-regulation depletion and a subsequent breakdown of deactivating strategies (demonstrated by greater accessibility of negative emotional experiences). Utilizing a mixed experimental/correlational design, the present study represents a replication and extension of Kohn, Rholes, and Schmeichel (2012). Unlike previous studies, the present study focuses on assessing attachment styles using multi-item measures such as Experiences in Close Relationships (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998) and the Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three writing conditions: the first activates the attachment system, the second depletes self-regulatory resources, and the third represents a control condition. A marginally significant interaction between attachment categories and emotional memory condition was observed, with simple effects revealing that dismissing individuals who write either essays about attachment or essays that deplete self-regulatory resources have increased accessibility for positive and negative emotional memories, compared to dismissing participants in the control condition and participants with other attachment styles in all experimental conditions. These data support the hypothesis that dismissing participants show increased accessibility of emotional memories after being randomly assigned to either the attachment essay condition or the self-regulation depletion essay condition. This suggests that both activation of the attachment system and self-regulation depletion depletes dismissing participants’ self-regulatory resources leading to an increase in the accessibility of childhood emotional experiences and memories.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology |
| Divisions: | Radford University > College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences > Department of Psychology |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Aug 2016 15:10 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Apr 2023 18:17 |
| URI: | http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/233 |
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