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Anxiety and affiliation in children

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Abstract

Hypotheses about the relationship between anxiety and affiliation derived from the psychoanalytic, drive, and social comparison models were tested by exposing high anxious (HA) and low anxious (LA)Ss to stress and subsequently to conditions meant to fulfill either nurturance or information needs. Unstressed and non-need fulfilled control groups were included. (N=224 grade school children.) Stress significantly increased the strength of adult affiliating in HA Ss; nurturance reduced it. Peer affiliating was not influenced by stress or information, nor did the conditions affect the affiliation of LASs. Results supported the hypothesis that dependency motives mediate the anxiety-affiliation relationship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, USA

    Anne McIntyre

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  1. Anne McIntyre
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Additional information

This study is based on a doctoral dissertation completed at Yale University. The author thanks Prof. Seymour Sarason, who directed the thesis, and the children, teachers, and school psychologists of Milford, Conn. whose cooperation made this study possible.

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McIntyre, A. Anxiety and affiliation in children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1, 57–67 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00917890

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00917890

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