The Influence Of Attachment And Cognitive Load On Connected And Self-protection Goals In The Situation Of Interpersonal Risk

How to balance the connected goal and self-protection goal is a common phenomenon in the intimate relationship, the thoughts and behaviors about risking increase both the closeness seeking needs and the thought about pain of rejection. To satisfy connectedness goals, people need to compromise self-protection concerns. Moreover, the pain of rejection and relationship loss only cause the more who comes to depend on his/her lover for comfort. In contrast, to satisfy self-protection concerns, people should be motivated to think and behave in ways that limit her dependence on lover’s actions in the short term and diminish the long-term potential pain of relationship loss.Adult attachment is an important emotional connection which can influence the intimate relationship. A lot of researches identified that secure attachment can experience more positive emotion, describe more positive about their lover, and more inclined to communicate with them. Insecure attachment was more inclined to distance lover or excessive seeking lover’s support which will lower the satisfaction and happiness. At the same time, the attachment theory points out that the defensive mechanism of attachment style may need the psychological need, change the coginitive load may change individuals’defensive strategies. Thus, to identify the relationship between attachment styles and the connected goal as well as self-protection goal will help to find out the different pattern of different attachment style in the intimate relationship, and provide some suggestions for them to improve relationship in the future.Object:Across three studies, we examined the effects of attachment and cognitive load between individuals’connectedness goals and self-protection goals in the situation of interpersonal threat. Study1and2explored the influence of attachment on interpersonal approach-avoidance goal in the situation of interpersonal threat. We also examined if the influence of attachment on connected and self-protection goals relies the cognitive resources in study3based on the results of study2.Methods:In Study1, first,58college students involved in exclusion dating relationship completed the Experiences in Close Relationships scales (ECR). Second, they were randomly assigned to the general interpersonal risk condition then described a time when a significant other hurt or disappointed them to induce the feeling of threat. Participants in the control condition described a thing which happened in the summer holiday. Third, they all finished a lexical decision task about interpersonal conflict goals.In Study2, first,56college students involved in exclusion dating relationships completed the ECR and general approach-avoidance goals scale. Second, they randomly assigned to the partner risk condition and control condition, they completed the similar recall task. Third, they finished the dependent measures, included the measures of connected, self-protection goals, dependence and closeness to partner.In Study3, first,55college students completed the ECR and general approach-avoidance goals. Second, they all completed the recall task like the partner risk condition in study2. Third, they were divided into two groups, participants in the high cognitive load group were instructed to learn and rehearse nine alphabets. In the low cognitive load, this task contained only three alphabets. Fourthly, they all finished the dependent measures like study2, and to ensure whether participants were rehearsing their alphabets, we asked them to report it three times throughout the experimental session.Results:In the interpersonal threat condition, participants with high attachment anxiety can recognize words about connected goals faster, and participants with high attachment avoidance can recognize words about self-protection goals faster.In the partner threat condition, participants with high attachment avoidance seek more self-protection goals, and participants with low attachment anxiety seek more dependence.In the partner threat condition, cognitive load can influence the effect of attachment on interpersonal approach-avoidance goals. Specially, it made participants with high attachment avoidance seek more connected goals like people with low attachment avoidance. Conclusion:The responses about connected and self-protection goal to the interpersonal threat were moderated by attachment styles, and the moderating effect of attachment avoidance rely the cognitive resources. Thus, we can correct the bad responses of individuals who with the unsafe attachment through the change of their cognitive resources, which will promote the development of their relationship.