Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Separation Insecurity

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

  • 281 Accesses

Synonyms

Attachment insecurity; Fear of rejection; Fear of separation

Definition

Separation insecurity is characterized by a fear of rejection by – and/or a separation from – significant others, related to fears of excessive dependency and a complete loss of autonomy.

Introduction

Separation insecurity is a construct that is most commonly seen as a significant diagnostic criterion for borderline personality disorder. Thus, separation insecurity can best be understood by highlighting how the construct relates to borderline personality disorder and to the Five-Factor Model of Personality Disorders.

Separation Insecurity

According to the DSM-5, separation insecurity is characterized by “fears of rejection by—and/or separation from—significant others, associated with fears of excessive dependency and complete loss of autonomy” (American Psychiatric Association 2013, as cited by Trull 2012, p. 1707).

Borderline Personality Disorder

According to the DSM-5, borderline personality disorder...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 3,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 5,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Agrawal, H. R., Gunderson, J., Holmes, B. M., & Lyons-Ruth, K. (2004). Attachment studies with borderline patients: A review. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 12, 94–104.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K., Kwong, M. J., & Hart, S. D. (2001). Attachment. In W. J. Livesley (Ed.), Handbook of personality disorders (pp. 196–230). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. 3. Loss, sadness, and depression. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chess, S., & Thomas, A. (1977). Temperamental individuality from childhood to adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 16(2), 218–226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, P., Crawford, T. N., Johnson, J. G., & Kasen, S. (2005). The children in the community study of developmental course of personality disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 466–486.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, T. N., Shaver, P. R., Cohen, P., Pilkonis, P. A., Gillath, O., & Kasen, S. (2006). Self-reported attachment, interpersonal aggression, and personality disorder in a prospective community sample of adolescents and adults. Journal of Personality Disorders, 20, 331–353.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, T. N., Cohen, P. R., Chen, H., Anglin, D. M., & Ehrensaft, M. (2009). Early maternal separation and the trajectory of borderline personality disorder symptoms. Development and Psychopathology, 21(03), 1013–1030.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S., Rickles, K., Uhlenhuth, E. H., & Covi, L. (1974). The Hopkins Symptom Check- list (HSCL). Behavioral Science, 19, 1–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fincham, F. D., & Osborne, L. N. (1993). Marital conflict and children: Retrospect and prospect. Clinical Psychology Review, 13, 75–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The Big Five factor structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1216–1229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, R., Olfson, M., Gameroff, M., Shea, S., Feder, A., Fuentes, M., et al. (2002). Borderline personality disorder in primary care. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162, 53–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hyler, S. E., Reider, R., Spitzer, R., & Williams, J. B. (1983). Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute. Biometrics Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyler, S. E., Skodol, A. E., Kellman, H. D., Oldham, J. M., & Rosnick, L. (1990). Validity of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire – revised: Comparison with two structured interviews. American Journal of Psychiatry, 47, 1043–1048.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jessor, R., Graves, T. D., Hanson, R. C., & Jessor, S. L. (1968). Society, personality, and deviant behavior: A study of a tri-ethnic community. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Wilson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenzenweger, M., Loranger, A., Korfine, L., & Neff, C. (1997). Detecting personality disorders in a nonclinical population: Application of a 2-stage for case identification. Archives of General Psychiatry, 54, 345–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, K. N. (2005). The implications of attachment theory and research for understanding borderline personality disorder. Development and Psychopathology, 17, 959–986.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Links, P. S., Steiner, M., Offord, D. R., & Eppel, A. B. (1988). Characteristics of borderline personality disorder: A Canadian study. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 33, 336–340.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam, D. R., & Widiger, T. A. (2001). Using the five-factor model to represent the DSM-IV personality disorders: An expert consensus approach. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 401–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Costa, T. P., Jr. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81– 90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moss, E., Cyr, C., Bureau, J. F., Tarabulsy, G. M., & Dubois- Comtois, K. (2005). Stability of attachment during the pre-school period. Developmental Psychology, 41, 773–783.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Samuel, D. B., & Widiger, T. A. (2008). A meta-analytic review of the relationships between the five-factor model and DSM-VI-TR personality disorders: A facet level analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 1326–1342.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Saulsman, L. M., & Page, A. C. (2004). The five-factor model and personality disorder empirical literature: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1055–1085.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, E. (1965). Children’s reports of parental behavior: An inventory. Child Development, 36, 413–424.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1977). Temperament and development. Oxford, UK: Brunner/Mazel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, A., Chess, S., & Birch, H. G. (1970). The origin of personality. Scientific American, 223, 102–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Torgersen, S., Kringlen, E., & Cramer, V. (2001). The prevalence of personality disorders in a community sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 58, 590–596.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trull, T. J. (2012). The five factor model of personality disorder and DSM-5. Journal of Personality, 80(6), 1697–1720.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waters, E., Merrick, S., Treboux, D., Crowell, J., & Alber- sheim, L. (2000). Attachment security in infancy and early adulthood: A twenty-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 71, 684–689.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Widiger, T. A., & Mullins-Sweatt, S. N. (2009). Five-factor model of personality disorder: A proposal for DSM-V. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 5, 115–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanarinki, M. C., Yong, L., Frankenburg, F. R., Hennen, J., Reich, D. B., Marino, M. F., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2002). Severity of reported childhood sexual abuse and its relationship to severity of borderline psychopathology and psychosocial impairment among borderline inpatients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190, 381–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Alicia Ferris

  2. Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY, USA

    Nava R. Silton

Authors
  1. Alicia Ferris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nava R. Silton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alicia Ferris .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Lakehead University, Orillia, Canada

    Beth A. Visser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Ferris, A., Silton, N.R. (2020). Separation Insecurity. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1111

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation