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Adult attachment and paranoia: an experimental investigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2017

Jane Hutton ,
Lyn Ellett  and
Katherine Berry
Jane Hutton
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK NHS Lothian, UK
Lyn Ellett
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
Katherine Berry*
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
*
*Author for correspondence: Katherine Berry, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, 2nd Floor, Zocohnis Building, Brunswick Street, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. E-mail: katherine.berry@manchester.ac.uk
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Abstract

Attachment theory may develop understanding of the occurrence and maintenance of persecutory delusions. This study investigates the role of dispositional attachment and contextually primed secure base attachment representations in the occurrence of paranoid thinking. Sixty participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: a secure attachment priming condition, a positive affect condition, or a neutral control condition. Following priming, all participants were exposed to a paranoia induction. State paranoia was measured at baseline and following the paranoia induction. Dispositional insecure attachment was associated with both trait and state paranoid thinking. Contrary to predictions, the secure attachment prime did not appear to buffer paranoid thinking and had a negative impact for participants with high levels of attachment anxiety, highlighting the potentially aversive effects of exposure to secure attachment material in those with existing insecure attachment styles.

Keywords

Paranoiaattachmentpersecutory delusionspriming
Type
Original Research Report
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 10 , 2017 , e4
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2017 

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References

Further reading

Berry, K, Barrowclough, C, Wearden, A (2008). Attachment theory: a framework for understanding symptoms and interpersonal relationships in psychosis. Behaviour Research Therapy 46, 1275–1282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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Gilbert, P, McEwan, K, Gibbons, L, Chotai, S, Duarte, J, Matos, M (2012). Fears of compassion and happiness in relation to alexithymia, mindfulness, and self-criticism. Psychology and Psychotherapy 85, 374–390 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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