ATTACHMENT AND SELF-ESTEEM:  IMPLICATIONS FOR PROSOCIALITY AND THE SELF

Bozeman, Sara

ATTACHMENT AND SELF-ESTEEM: IMPLICATIONS FOR PROSOCIALITY AND THE SELF

dc.contributor.advisor	Showers, Carolin
dc.contributor.author	Bozeman, Sara
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Carvallo, Mauricio
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Song, Hairong
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Terry, Robert
dc.contributor.committeeMember	McWhirter, Paula
dc.date.accessioned	2014-12-02T16:16:49Z
dc.date.available	2014-12-02T16:16:49Z
dc.date.issued	2014-12
dc.date.manuscript	2014-11
dc.description.abstract	Two experimental studies test a model of prosociality (including prosocial actions and emotions) that integrates research from the areas of attachment theory and self-esteem. The model suggests that primed relationship quality and trait self-esteem interact to predict meaningful differences in prosocial responses across a variety of contexts. Study 1 tests the proposed model and finds support for four paths to prosociality: 1. Transcendent: High self-esteem individuals primed with relationship security (secure-HSE) become less focused on egoistic concerns and focus on the welfare of others, but only if the target is worthy; 2. Self-Affirmed: Low self-esteem individuals primed with relationship security (secure-LSE) become especially responsive towards less deserving others; 3. Defensive: High self-esteem individuals primed with relationship insecurity (insecure-HSE) ignore threatening situations, thus becoming unresponsive to prosocial situations; and 4. Self-Protective: Low self-esteem individuals primed with relationship insecurity (insecure-LSE) experience self-focused negative emotions, but are not motivated to behave prosocially. Study 2 aims to link defensive responses to victims with an individual’s cognitive structure of negative self-beliefs. Although Study 2 fails to find a significant relationship between organization of self-beliefs and prosociality, the data support the transcendent path, such that secure-HSE participants are most willing to donate money and are least distressed following a disagreement with a friend. Study 3 provides supplementary analyses of the relationship descriptions for HSE and LSE individuals. Results suggest that HSE and LSE individuals provide different responses to relationship primes, such that HSE individuals write about more long lasting secure relationships and less emotionally distressing insecure relationships compared to individuals with LSE.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11244/13635
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	attachment	en_US
dc.subject	self-esteem	en_US
dc.subject	prosocial behavior	en_US
dc.subject	self-structure	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Ph.D.	en_US
dc.title	ATTACHMENT AND SELF-ESTEEM: IMPLICATIONS FOR PROSOCIALITY AND THE SELF	en_US
ou.group	College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Psychology	en_US