Loading...
The Use of Material Objects as a Secure Base
Keefer, Lucas Allen
Keefer, Lucas Allen
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
Attachment theory proposes that people form and maintain close interpersonal relationships in part because they provide a secure base for personal growth. Emerging evidence expands on this insight by showing that people sometimes seek (and find) this secure base in non-human sources (e.g., pets), particularly under conditions of threatened or absent social connection. The current research presents the first evidence that material objects can serve as a secure base, increasing felt security and the willingness to explore. Priming a valued object prevented a loss of exploration intentions following threat (Study 1). Consistent with prior research, objects effectively bolstered security and exploration particularly when uncertainty about social support was dispositionally high (Study 2) and experimentally increased (Studies 3 & 4). Study 5 showed that, in the wake of support uncertainty, an object increased exploration only if participants appraised that object as dependable--a defining characteristic of a human secure base.
Description
Date
2014-08-31
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Kansas
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Social psychology, Experimental psychology, Attachment, Materialism, Personal Growth, Social Support, Uncertainty