Psychology 137C Week 4 Lecture 701-31-12Interpersonal Histories *Announcements- upcoming review session depending on room availabilityReminders- Thursday of Week 5: Midterm Exam- 50 Questions- Review Sessions Posted- Thursday of Week 6: Research Paper (2pages)o Tips and guidelines posted on course websiteWhy do we form close emotional relationships?- Attachment theory answers thisHow do we vary as individuals in ways that matter in our close relationships?How do our prior relationships affect the quality and duration of a given romantic relationship?Brief Review from last class*Dependency Regulation model- shows how our personality traits exert an effect within our intimate relationships*Family of Origin- impacts our close relationships*Remember all of the theories (Social Learning theory, social exchange theory, attachment theory, social ecological theory, evolutionary theory etc)Attachment refers to an emotional bond that one individual forms with another individual who can provide:- Only interpersonal model/theory- Protection, comfort, and support- A secure base from which to exploreo Classical term in attachment theory- A safe haven when threatened- Attachment theory is associated with John Bowlby (1907-1990). He was influenced by Konrad Lorenz’ ideas about the evolutionary advantages of imprinting – a kind of a control system. - According to Bowlby (1969), “A child’s first … relationship [is[ the foundation stone of his personality.”o Humans and animals are similar in their parent-child relationship, which impacts their intimate relationshipso Key point is that virtually all of us have a mother, the response we get from our caregivers is variable and it is that response that determines who we are idiosyncraticallyFirst: The Universal System ‘Attachment Behavioral System’ orients infant to caregiver and ensures survival. This allows infant to monitor/negotiate:  Internal states – a feeling of threat, anxiety, comfort, tension, etc  Very primitive experiences while we are infants, very limited inwhat they’re able to tell us, very powerful in what they tell us Availability of caregiver Infant shuts down emotionally as a result, these same infants become disengaged and emotionally unavailable as adults to survive  Threats  If ‘felt security’ is threatened, infant tries to restore proximity to caregiver. If possible: vigilance. If not possible: deactivation.“All of us, from cradle to grave, are happiest when life is organized as a series of excursions, long or short, from the secure base provided by our attachment figures.”Second, Individual Differences- Ideographic part of the attachment model Early experiences are the basis for ‘working models’ of relationships. Caregivers differ in responsiveness, thus internal working models represent our:  Anxiety and self doubt: Inconsistent, unavailable caregiver producesanxiety, sensitivity to rejection, low self-worth, feelings of inadequacy. Avoidance and other doubt: Restoring proximity with a punitive or rejecting caregiver leads us to conclude that others are best avoided orunreliable. The Cider House Rules- film- based on the novel by John Irvine- A story about how much we must travel to find the place that we belongExtending Attachment to Intimate Relationships in AdulthoodMaking the Connection Hazan and Shaver (1987) recognized similarities between infant-parent and intimate relationships: Feeling safe when other is nearby Close bodily contact Mutual fascination with each other Share discoveries with one another Baby talkPositive View of Others Low AvoidancePositive View of Self > Secure Preoccupied > Negative View of SelfLow anxiety > Dismissing Fearful > High AnxietyNegative View of OthersHigh Avoidance *table and more information in textbookIn times of distress… We signal needs for comfort, closeness, etc. …secure individuals positively appraise the stress and cope adaptively – by mobilizing others’ support, or by using internal resources. …insecure (avoidant) individuals defensively deny any need for help from others, and use distancing strategies to cope with distress …insecure (anxious) individuals will overuse support networks, but feel little satisfaction with the support they receive.Secure Individuals:Positive Self, Positive Other- Low in anxiety, low in avoidance.- Feel worthy of others’ love and confident in the ability that others will be responsive and dependable. - Comfortable with closeness and intimacy, and while they value relationships they are also able to maintain their sense of independence and autonomy away from relationships. Preoccupied Individuals: Negative Self, Positive Other- Low in attachment-related avoidance. - They value closeness, but their low sense of self-worth leaves them chronically high in anxiety. o As a result preoccupied individuals depend on others to prop up their uncertain sense of who they are and to reassure them that they are indeed worthy of this attention. - Rejection may be especially painful because it confirms doubts about their self-worth while robbing them of the security that they need others to provide for them.Dismissing Individuals:Positive Self, Negative Other- Positive self views leaves them low in attachment-related anxiety, and thus feeling worthy of others’ care and attention. - The problem here is that others are viewed as uncaring and unavailable. By holding internal working models with a negative view of others, dismissing individuals instead value independence and self-sufficiency. - In order to maintain the positive self-view that they have alongside the negative views they hold of others, they tend to avoid closeness, minimize its importance, and deny their own needs for intimacy. Fearful Individuals:Negative Self, Negative Other- Negative views of themselves and of others leaves them high in anxiety and, like dismissing individuals, prone to avoiding intimacy and closeness. - Their quest for intimacy begins with the expectation that they are not worthyof others’ caring and consideration, which pushes them to seek validation from others. - At the same time they struggle with the internalized sense that others are unlikely to provide the affirmation that they need. Because others are expected to be a source of pain and rejection, fearful individuals tend to avoidintimacy