Sensory sensitivity, attachment experiences, and rejection responses among adults with borderline and avoidant features

Both avoidant and borderline personality disorder (APD and BPD) are theoretically associated with temperamental vulnerabilities, adverse attachment experiences, and negative (pessimistic or catastrophic) reactions to the threat of perceived rejection; however, more work is needed to differentiate how these processes account for the etiology and maintenance of both disorders. In this study, 156 adults completed questionnaires measuring APD and BPD features, temperament (sensory-processing sensitivity), mood, and attachment experiences. A vignette task was devised to examine pessimistic cognitive-affective reactions in situations signaling potential rejection. Both APD and BPD were associated with temperamental sensitivity, but BPD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring sensitivity to mental and emotive stimuli, whereas APD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring the control and avoidance of aversive stimulation. Compared to APD, BPD was more strongly linked with negative moods (anxiety, anger, sadness) and insecure attachment to parents, whereas APD was more strongly linked (than BPD) to pessimistic cognitive-affective responses to rejection-related situations.     

What's in a (neutral) face? Personality disorders, attachment styles, and the appraisal of ambiguous social cues

Attachment theory suggests that borderline, avoidant, and schizoid personality disorders are differentially associated with anxious and avoidant attachment styles. The variations of insecure attachment in these disorders, in turn, might influence how others are perceived or appraised. To test these ideas, 176 college students completed questionnaires measuring attachment styles and personality disorder features, and each rated 10 emotionally neutral faces on 18 bipolar appraisal dimensions. As expected, borderline personality was associated with anxious attachment, avoidant personality was associated with anxious and avoidant attachment, and schizoid personality was weakly associated only with avoidant attachment. Furthermore, path analyses showed that borderline and avoidant personality features were associated with anxious attachment, which in turn related to negative face appraisals (e.g., tendencies to rate faces as less friendly and more rejecting). Discussion highlights the potential of simultaneously studying biases in social information processing and attachment disturbances among individuals with personality disorders.     

Is avoidant personality disorder more than just social avoidance?

Although social avoidance is a defining feature of avoidant personality disorder (APD), some theorists posit that APD is characterized by a broader pattern of avoidance that extends beyond social situations. This paper describes a series of four studies that examined the different types of nonsocial avoidance hypothesized to characterize APD in three undergraduate student samples and a clinical sample of adults with APD. Overall, the findings revealed low to moderate associations between APD and emotional and novelty avoidance, as well as avoidance of various nonsocial events. The results provide support for contemporary models of APD.     

Avoidant personality disorder and the generalized subtype of social phobia.

Social phobia and avoidant personality disorder (APD) may be given as comorbid diagnoses. However, it is not known if the labels provide independent, useful diagnostic information. We classified social phobics by social phobia subtype and presence of APD. Generalized social phobics with and without APD (ns = 10 and 10) and nongeneralized social phobics without APD (n = 10) were distinguished on measures of phobic severity. The generalized groups also showed earlier age at onset and higher scores on measures of depression, fear of negative evaluation, and social anxiety and avoidance than did the nongeneralized group. APD criteria of general timidity and risk aversion were more frequently endorsed by social phobics with APD. The data suggest that both the generalized subtype of social phobia and the presence of APD do provide useful diagnostic information but the additional diagnosis of APD may simply identify a severe subgroup of social phobics.     

Social phobia and avoidant personality disorder as related to parental history of social anxiety: a general population study

Using a validated and DSM-IV compatible questionnaire, the present study related family history of excessive social anxiety to social phobia and avoidant personality disorder (APD) in epidemiologically identified probands in the general population. Probands met diagnostic criteria for social phobia with or without APD and APD with or without social phobia. A two- to three-fold increased relative risk of social anxiety was observed for all diagnostic groups. Increasing severity in probands by varying diagnostic criteria did not affect the relative risk. Because familial aggregation of social anxiety was not modulated by Axis I or II diagnosis or diagnostic cut-off levels, data imply that social phobia and APD may represent a dimension of social anxiety rather than separate disorders. Thus, having an affected family member is associated with a two- to three-fold risk increase for both social phobia and APD.     

Relations Among Symptoms of Social Phobia Subtypes, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Panic, and Depression

This study's primary goal was to examine relations between symptoms of specific social phobia (SSP), generalized social phobia (GSP), avoidant personality disorder (APD), and panic and depression. Past research has suggested a single social phobia continuum in which SSP displays less symptom severity than GSP or APD. We found SSP symptoms correlated less strongly with depression but more strongly with panic relative to both GSP and APD symptoms. These findings challenge a unidimensional model of social phobia, suggesting a multidimensional model may be more appropriate. These findings also inform current research aimed at classifying mood and anxiety disorders more broadly by identifying that the different factors of fear versus distress appear to underlie different subtypes of social phobia.     

安全依恋启动影响社会行为：方法、效果与机制

阈上或者阈下的安全依恋启动可以使个体获得暂时的依恋安全感,并对个体的社会行为产生显著的影响。这种影响主要表现在个体会表现出更多的亲社会行为、揭露行为以及更少的欺骗、歧视行为和道德脱离行为。这可能是因为启动激活的依恋安全感迁移至外显行为。脑神经活动是迁移顺利发生的生理基础。今后的研究可以设置更具生态效度的实验条件,以其它社会行为为研究对象,或者结合当前研究提出的迁移视角,进一步探索安全依恋启动对社会行为的影响。     

Effects of attachment styles on the experience of equity in heterosexual couples relationships

Employing one correlational and two experimental studies, this paper examines the influence of attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant) on a person's experience of equity in intimate relationships. While one experimental study employed a priming technique to stimulate the different attachment styles, the other involved vignettes describing fictitious characters with typical attachment styles. As the specific hypotheses about the single equity components have been developed on the basis of the attachment theory, the equity ratio itself and the four equity components (own outcome, own input, partner's outcome, partner's input) are analyzed as dependent variables. While partners with a secure attachment style tend to describe their relationship as equitable (i.e., they give and take extensively), partners who feel anxious about their relationship generally see themselves as being in an inequitable, disadvantaged position (i.e., they receive little from their partner). The hypothesis that avoidant partners would feel advantaged as they were less committed was only supported by the correlational study. Against expectations, the results of both experiments indicate that avoidant partners generally see themselves (or see avoidant vignettes) as being treated equitably, but that there is less emotional exchange than is the case with secure partners. Avoidant partners give and take less than secure ones.     

Calibrating Use of Emotion Regulation Strategies to the Relationship Context: An Attachment Perspective

This research tested whether adult attachment orientations predict use of emotion regulation strategies in theoretically consistent ways, and whether associations among attachment orientations and emotion regulatory strategies are moderated by critical features of the relationship context. Ninety‐six couples (192 individuals) reported on their attachment orientations, habitual use of emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, negative emotion expressivity), and perceptions of relationship closeness and negative partner behaviors. Highly secure individuals reported greater use of cognitive reappraisal, especially when they felt closer to their partners, and engaged in less suppression when their partners behaved more negatively toward them. Highly avoidant individuals reported greater use of suppression, especially when they perceived more negative partner behaviors, and when their partners were more avoidant. Highly anxious individuals also used more suppression when their partners were more avoidant, but they expressed more negative emotions when they were paired with less avoidant partners. Fearful‐avoidant individuals' emotion regulation patterns resembled those of both highly secure and dismissive‐avoidant individuals. This study illustrates how attending to moderating effects within specific relationships and testing joint effects of both partners' personality characteristics can help identify contextual boundaries of emotion regulation strategies and clarify emotional response patterns in couples.     

Toward resolution of a longstanding controversy in personality disorder diagnosis: Contrasting correlates of schizoid and avoidant traits

Although the construct validity and clinical utility of separate schizoid and avoidant personality disorder (PD) categories has been controversial since avoidant PD was first introduced in DSM-III, few studies have compared individuals with schizoid versus avoidant features on variables relevant to their contrasting personality dynamics. Those few investigations that exist have yielded inconclusive results. In this study a mixed-sex sample of nonclinical participants (N = 123) completed the International Personality Disorder Examination Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) and self-report measures of attachment style, defense style, empathy, internalized shame, need to belong, rejection sensitivity, and social anhedonia. High levels of social anhedonia were uniquely predictive of schizoid features; high levels of need to belong and internalized shame were uniquely predictive of avoidance. These findings support retaining the two PD categories in future versions of the DSM. Supplementary analyses revealed that among women—but not men—schizoid and avoidant traits were positively and significantly intercorrelated; it may be that women show more of a blended schizoid–avoidant profile, whereas men display the more prototypical categorical profile where either schizoid or avoidant features predominate.     

Monitoring/Blunting and Social Support: Associations with Coping and Affect

The present study examined the associations of personal factors and social resources with coping and affective reactions to simulated stressful encounters. The study tested coping strategies and assessments of affect in the context of 'health' and 'work' threats described in 2 vignettes in a sample of 147 community residents. They also completed the Monitor-Blunter Style Scale (MBSS) and a perceived social support scale. The results showed positive associations between active coping and positive affect, and negative associations between avoidant coping and negative affect, replicating previous findings. Most interestingly, neither monitoring/blunting nor social support were directly related to either negative or positive affect, but were differentially related to coping strategies. Monitoring and social support were positively correlated with active coping and support-seeking in both vignettes, while blunting was related positively to avoidant coping, and social support was related negatively to this coping strategy. These results suggest that personal factors and social resources affect the use of coping strategies, rather than the affective reactions to threats, and contribute to our understanding of the stress and coping process.     

Two Dimensions of Attachment to God and Their Relation to Affect, Religiosity, and Personality Constructs

In this study we sought to address several limitations of previous research on attachment theory and religion by (1) developing a dimensional attachment to God scale, and (2) demonstrating that dimensions of attachment to God are predictive of measures of affect and personality after controlling for social desirability and other related dimensions of religiosity. Questionnaire measures of these constructs were completed by a sample of university students and community adults (total n = 374). Consistent with prior research on adult romantic attachment, two dimensions of attachment to God were identified: avoidance and anxiety . After statistically controlling for social desirability, intrinsic religiousness, doctrinal orthodoxy, and loving God image, anxious attachment to God remained a significant predictor of neuroticism , negative affect , and (inversely) positive affect ; avoidant attachment to God remained a significant inverse predictor of religious symbolic immortality and agreeableness . These findings are evidence that correlations between attachment to God and measures of personality and affect are not merely byproducts of confounding effects of socially desirable responding or other dimensions of religiosity.     

Symptoms of Specific and Generalized Social Phobia: An Examination of Discriminant Validity and Structural Relations With Mood and Anxiety Symptoms

Current models divide social phobia into specific (SSP) and generalized (GSP) subtypes and suggest strong overlap between GSP and avoidant personality disorder (APD). Meanwhile, other research suggests reclassifying anxiety and mood disorders as fear and distress disorders. To unify these separate lines of research, this study was designed to test the hypothesis that SSP is more related to fear disorders (e.g., panic and phobias), whereas GSP and APD are more related to distress disorders (e.g., depression and generalized anxiety). Confirmatory factor analysis suggested the best-fitting model had symptoms of GSP, APD, and depression loading on one factor, and symptoms of SSP, panic, and specific phobias loading on a second factor. Key components of this model were (a) the inclusion of GAD symptoms reduced model fit and (b) GSP and APD symptoms significantly predicted SSP symptoms; this is consistent with conceptualizations of individuals with both GSP and SSP reporting performance anxiety.     

Validity of the distinction between generalized social phobia and avoidant personality disorder.

Disorders of pervasive social anxiety and inhibition are divided into 2 categories, generalized social phobia (GSP) and avoidant personality disorder (APD). We explored the discriminative validity of this categorization by examining the comorbidity of GSP and APD and by comparing these groups on anxiety level, social skills, dysfunctional cognitions, impairment in functioning, and presence of concurrent disorders. Results from 23 subjects showed high comorbidity of the 2 diagnoses: All subjects who met criteria for APD also met criteria for GSP. APD was associated with greater social anxiety, impairment in functioning, and comorbidity with other psychopathology, but no differences in social skills or performance on an impromptu speech. GSP and APD seem to represent quantitatively different variants of the same spectrum of psychopathology rather than qualitatively distinct disorders. We also investigated a proposed social phobia subtyping scheme.     

Self-esteem in patients with borderline and avoidant personality disorders

This study compared self-esteem in patients with avoidant personality disorder (APD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Patients diagnosed with one or more personality disorders answered the questionnaire Index of Self Esteem as part of a comprehensive evaluation within the setting of a treatment trial. Our hypotheses were that (1) both patients with APD and patients with BPD would report low levels of self-esteem, (2) patients with APD would report lower self-esteem than patients with BPD. We further expected that (3) patients with higher levels of depression would report lower levels of self-esteem, but that (4) both borderline and avoidant personality pathology would contribute to explained variance in self-esteem beyond what would be accounted for by depression. All of our hypotheses were supported. The results from our study showed a significant difference in self-esteem level between the two personality disorders, patients with APD reporting lower self-esteem than patients with BPD. Subjects with both disorders were measured to have self-esteem levels within the range that presumes clinical problems. Self-esteem represents an important quality of subjective experience of the self, and the study of self-esteem in PDs can offer new and important knowledge of PDs as self-pathology.     

Emotional dysfunction in avoidant compared to borderline personality disorder: A study of affect consciousness

Knowledge of emotional dysfunction in patients with avoidant personality disorder (APD) is much needed. The present study examined affect consciousness (AC) in patients with APD compared to borderline personality disorder (BPD). AC, defined as capacity to perceive, reflect on, tolerate, and express emotional experiences, is assumed to be central to structure‐building in personality. The study tested the hypotheses that patients with APD have lower general AC and lower AC for pleasant affects compared to BPD. Fifty‐nine patients, 26 with APD and 33 with BPD were rated on several aspects of AC using the specialized AC interview. The structured interview SCID‐II was applied for diagnostic evaluations. The APD group had significantly lower levels of global AC and conceptual expressivity compared to the BPD group. Among 11 specific affects the APD group had significantly lower AC for interest and contempt. Emotional dysfunction is an important feature of APD and the findings indicate that psychotherapies for APD patients should focus on emotional experiences, aiming to improve emotional awareness, tolerance, and expressivity. The notion of a general avoidance of positive emotions in APD needs further exploration, including a possible dysfunction in the evolutionary based neuro‐affective Seeking system.     

Personality, birth order and attachment styles as related to various types of jealousy

The relationships between jealousy, personality, attachment styles and birth order were examined in a sample of 100 Dutch men and 100 Dutch women. Three types of jealousy were examined: reactive jealousy (a negative response to the emotional or sexual involvement of the partner with someone else), preventive jealousy (efforts to prevent intimate contact of the partner with a third person), and anxious jealousy (obsessive anxiety, upset, and worrying about the possibility of infidelity of the partner). The three types of jealousy were not at all related to egoism and dominance, but significantly correlated with neuroticism, social anxiety, rigidity and hostility. Only among women was a low self-esteem correlated with jealousy. On all three jealousy measures, those with an anxious-ambivalent attachment style were more jealous than those with an avoidant style, with those with a secure attachment style being the least jealous. Attachment style was strongly related to most personality dimensions, but the effects of attachment style upon jealousy stayed virtually the same when controlling for personality factors. The most important finding in the present study was that laterborns were more jealous according to all three measures than firstborns, a finding that was not due to personality differences between first- and laterborns, nor to differences in attachment style, gender or occupational level of the father. Because some evidence was found that only borns were slightly less jealous than firstborns, it is suggested that the experience of exclusive love and attention in one's childhood, leads to a lower level of jealousy among firstborns.     

Attachment style differences in the processing of attachment–relevant information: Primed–style effects on recall,interpersonal expectations,and affect

The present study explored processing biases resulting from manipulating the temporal accessibility of relational schemas. By priming relational schemas, relationship–specific attachment styles were activated and their biasing effect on relevant information processing (namely recall for attachment–relevant words versus other words, interpersonal expectations, and affect) was examined. It was found that participants primed with a secure–style relational schema recalled more positive attachment words than those primed with an avoidant style. Although pre–priming endorsements of interpersonal expectations were influenced by global attachment style, once primed, participants showed primed–style–congruent responses. That is, primed secures showed higher endorsement of positive and lower endorsement of negative interpersonal expectations relative to the other primed style groups. Finally, primed secures reported more positive and less negative affect than the other primed style groups. Implications for understanding the way differential attachment experiences influence close relationships through life are considered.     

Emotional responses in patients with borderline as compared with avoidant personality disorder

The aim of this study was to assess psychophysiological affect correlates, in addition to the usual self-report in borderline personality disorder (BPD) compared with avoidant personality disorder (APD) and normal controls (NCs), when responding to standardized experimental stimuli. In 24 BPD female patients, 23 APD female patients, and 27 female NCs, skin conductance response (SCR), heart rate (HR) change, and startle response were recorded while the subjects viewed slides with emotional content. Neither the self-report nor the psychophysiological data supported the hypothesis that affective responses of BPD individuals are generally stronger than those with APD. BPD patients showed no potentiation of the affective modulation of the startle reflex and their electrodermal reactivity was lower than in either the APD subjects or the NCs. The hypothesis of a general affective hyperresponsivity could not be confirmed. Low somatic arousal in BPD can interfere with the anticipation of signal stimuli and may explain the exaggerated openness borderline personalities show to stimuli, particularly in interpersonal situations.