Effective Disengagement

Insecure People Are More Likely to Disengage From an Ongoing Task and Take Effective Action When Facing Danger

Bibliographic Data

ID19280596
AuthorsTsachi Ein-Dor (0000-0002-3078-7591, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, corresponding author), Adi Perry‐Paldi (Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya), Jenna Merrin (Brown University), Yaniv Efrati (0000-0003-3176-3708, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya), Gilad Hirschberger (0000-0002-4248-132X, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya)
Year2018
Volume86
Issue2
Pages233-246
Publication date2018-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3506 • E-ISSN: 1467-6494
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jopy.12308
PMID28192852
OpenAlexW2588739006
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited46

OBJECTIVE: People believe that they can respond effectively to threats, but actually they experience difficulties in disengaging from ongoing tasks and shifting their attention to life-threatening events. We contend that this tendency is especially true for secure people with respect to their worldview and perception of others and not for insecure individuals. METHOD: In Study 1 (N = 290), we examined individuals' reactions to various threat scenarios. In Study 2 (N = 65), we examined these reactions using a behavioral design high in ecological validity. In Study 3 (N = 78), we examined group-level benefits for the actions of insecure individuals by manipulating asocial behavior in response to an emergency. RESULTS: Study 1 indicated that anxiously attached individuals stayed away from threats and sought help; avoidant people tended to take action by either assessing the risk of the event and/or enacting an asocial action such as fight or flight. Study 2 added ecological validity to these findings, and Study 3 showed that priming asocial behavior responses promoted actions that increased group members' chances of survival. CONCLUSION: Results validate the central tenets of social defense theory and indicate that actions that are deemed asocial may paradoxically promote the survival of individuals and groups

Action (physics) · Cognition · Developmental psychology · Disengagement theory · Ecological validity · Perception · Priming (agriculture) · Cultural Differences and Values · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Medicine · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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