The Influence of Priming Attachment Styles on Excessive Reassurance Seeking and Negative Feedback Seeking in Depression

Abstract

Two studies examined the associations among attachment styles, excessive reassurance seeking (ErS) and negative feedback seeking (NFS) in depression. in Study 1 (n = 303), undergraduate students completed measures assessing attachment style, depressive symptoms, and ErS following either an imaginary interpersonal (friend and partner) or achievement prime. in Study 2 (n = 202), undergraduates completed the same measures in addition to completing an index of NFS following an imaginary interpersonal (partner) and achievement prime. Controlling for symptoms of depression, anxious attachment was positively related to ErS, and avoidant attachment was negatively related to ErS and positively associated with NFS. These results suggest that ErS and NFS may be a function of non-secure attachment rather than symptoms of depression per se. more specifically, anxiously attached individuals may attempt to reduce fears of abandonment by seeking reassurance from close others, whereas avoidantly attached individuals may strive to confirm negative perceptions of the self and relationships by seeking out unfavorable feedback from close others.Depression is a common and enervating mood disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 5-12% for men and 10-25% for women (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Research has also es-

Toward an Integration of Interpersonal Risk Models of Depression and Cognitive‐Behaviour Therapy

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“…As a proactive behavior, feedback seeking is the behavior of individuals who involves actively seeking valuable information in the organization so that it can be adapted to the organization’s and individuals’ development requirement 13. A supportive coworker feedback environment encourages coworkers to seek feedback,14 thereby enabling employees to improve their creativity 10.…”

The role of interpersonal personality traits and reassurance seeking in eating disorder symptoms and depressive symptoms among women with bulimia nervosa

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