Bringing avoidance and anxiety to the job: Attachment style and instrumental helping behavior among co-workers

Human Relations

Volumn 62, Issue 12, 2009, Pages 1803-1827

  Geller, Dvora ^a   Bamberger, Peter ^b  

^a Israel's College of Management   (Israel)

^b Department of Obstetrics Gynecology   (Israel)

Author keywords

Attachment anxiety; Attachment avoidance; Helping; Individual differences and group behavior; Interpersonal organizational citizenship behavior (OCB); Sociometry

Indexed keywords

EID: 70749105349     PISSN: 00187267     EISSN: 1741282X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0018726709337524     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Aiken, L.S. & West, S.G. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 1991.
2. Ainsworth, M.D.S. Infancy in Uganda: Infant care and the growth of love. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1967.
3. Ainsworth, M.D.S., Blehar, M., Waters, E. & Walls, S. Patterns of attachment. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1978.
4. Anderson, S.E. & Williams, J.L. Interpersonal, job, and individual factors related to helping processes at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1996, 81, 282-96.
5. Bacharach, S.B., Bamberger, P. & Vashdi, D. Diversity and homophily at work: Supportive relations among white and African-American peers. Academy of Management Journal, 2005, 48, 619-44.
6. Bamberger, P. & Meshoulam, I. Human resource strategy: Formulation, implementation and impact. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2000.
7. Bartholomew, K. & Horowitz, L.M. Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four- category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1991, 61, 226-44.
8. Bowlby, J. Attachment and loss: Attachment, Vol. 1, 2nd edn. New York: Basic Books, 1969.
9. Bowlby, J. Attachment and loss: Separation, anxiety and anger, Vol. 2. New York: Basic Books, 1973.
10. Bowlby, J. A secure base: Clinical applications of attachment theory. London: Routledge, 1988.
11. Bowler, W.M. & Brass, D.J. Relational correlates of interpersonal citizenship behavior: A social network perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006, 91, 70-82.
12. Brennan, K.A., Clark, C.L. & Shaver, P.R. Self-report measurement of adult attachment. In J.A. Simpson & W.S. Rholes (Eds), Attachment theory and close relationships. New York: The Guilford Press, 1998.
13. Bryk, A.S. & Raudenbush, S.W. Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE, 1992.
14. Chen, G. Newcomer adaptation in teams: Multilevel antecedents and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 2005, 48, 101-16.
15. Coble, H.M., Gantt, D.L. & Mallinckrodt, B. Attachment, social competency, and the capacity to use social support. In G.R. Pierce, B.R. Sarason & I.G. Sarason (Eds), Handbook of social support and the family. New York: Plenum Press, 1996, pp. 141-72.
16. Collins, N.L. & Feeney, B.C. A safe haven: an attachment theory perspective on support seeking and care-giving in adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000, 78, 1053-73.
17. Collins, N.L. & Read, S.J. Cognitive representation of attachment: The structure and function of working models. Advance in Personal Relationships, 1994, 5, 53-90.
18. Connelly, C.E. & Gallagher, D.G. Emerging trends in contingent work research. Journal of Management, 2004, 30, 959-83.
19. Davis, J.A. & Leinhardt, S. The structure of positive interpersonal relations in small groups. In J. Berger (Ed.), Sociological theories in progress, 2. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin, 1972, pp. 218-51.
20. Erdogan, B., Liden, R.C. & Kraimer, M.L. Justice and leader-member exchange: The moderating role of organizational culture. Academy of Management Journal, 2006, 49, 395-406.
21. Erez, A., Mikulincer, M., van Ijzendoorn, M.H. & Kroonenberg, P.M. Attachment, personality, and volunteering: Placing volunteerism in an attachment-theoretical framework. Personality and Individual Differences, 2008, 44, 64-74.
22. Feeney, B.C. & Collins, N.L. Predictors of care giving in adult intimate relationship: An attachment theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2001, 80, 972-94.
23. Flynn, F.J. How much is it worth to you: Subjective evaluations of help in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 2006, 27, 133-74.
24. Game, A.M. Negative emotions in supervisory relationships: The role of relational models. Human Relations, 2008, 61, 355-93.
25. Gillath, O., Shaver, P.R., Mikulincer, M., Nitzberg, R.E., Erez, A. & van IJzendoorn, M.H. Attachment, caregiving, and volunteering: Placing volunteerism in an attachment-theoretical framework. Personal Relationships, 2005, 12, 425-46.
26. Granovetter, M.S. The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 1973, 78, 1360-80.
27. Hackman, R. Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performances. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
28. Hazen, C. & Shaver, P.R. Love and work: An attachment-theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1990, 59, 270-80.
29. Joplin, J.R.W., Nelson, D.L. & Quick, J.C. Attachment behavior and health: Relationships at work and home. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 1999, 20, 783-96.
30. Kahn, W.A. Relational systems at work. In B.M. Staw & L.L. Cumings (Eds), Research in organizational behavior, Vol. 20. London: JAI Press, 1998, pp. 39-77.
31. Kunce, K.J. & Shaver, P.R. An attachment theoretical approach to care-giving in romantic relationships. Advances in Personal Relationships, 1994, 5, 205-37.
32. Labianca, G., Brass, D.J. & Gray, B. Social networks and perceptions of inter-group conflict: The role of negative relationships and third parties. Academy of Management Journal, 1998, 41, 55-67.
33. Main, M. Cross-cultural studies of attachment organization: Recent studies changing methodologies, and the concept of conditional strategies. Human Development, 1990, 33, 48-61.
34. Marsden, P.V. Network data and measurement. In W.R. Scott & J. Blake (Eds), Annual review of sociology, 16th edn. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews, 1990, pp. 435-63.
35. Mikulincer, M. Attachment working models and the sense of trust: An exploration of interaction goals and affect regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998, 74, 1209-24.
36. Mikulincer, M. & Florian, V. Exploring individual differences in reactions to mortality salience: Does attachment style regulate terror management mechanisms? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000, 79, 260-73.
37. Mikulincer, M. & Nachshon, O. Attachment styles and patterns of self-disclosure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1991, 61, 321-32.
38. Mikulincer, M. & Shaver, P.R. The attachment behavioral system in adulthood: Activation, psychodynamics, and interpersonal processes. In M.P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, Vol. 35. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2003, pp. 53-152.
39. Mikulincer, M. & Shaver, P.R. Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics and change. New York: Guilford Press, 2007.
40. Mikulincer, M., Gillath, O., Halevy,V., Avihou, N., Avidan, S. & Eshkoli, N. Attachment theory and reaction to other's needs: Evidence that activation of the sense of attachment security promotes empathic responses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2001, 81, 1205-24.
41. Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R., Gillath, O. & Nitzberg, R.A. Attachment, caregiving and altruism: Boosting attachment security increases compassion and helping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005, 89, 817-39.
42. Nadler, A. Help seeking behavior: Psychological cost and instrumental benefits. In M.S. Clark (Ed.), Review of personality and social psychology, 12. New York: SAGE, 1991, pp. 290-312.
43. Noftle, E.E. & Shaver, P.R. Attachment dimensions and the big five personality traits: Associations and comparative ability to predict relationship quality. Journal of Research in Personality, 2006, 40, 179-208.
44. Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Paine, J.B. & Bachrach, D.G. Organizational citizenship behaviors: A critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature and suggestions for future research. Journal of Management, 2000, 26, 513-63.
45. Popper, M., Mayseless, O. & Castelnovo, O. Transformational leadership and attachment. The Leadership Quarterly, 2000, 11, 267-89.
46. Rom, E. & Mikulincer, M. Attachment theory and group processes: The association between attachment style and group-related representations, goals, memories, and functioning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003, 84, 1220-35.
47. Schmidt, G. & Bell, B.S. Attachment style as a predictor of individual-organization attachment. Paper presented at the SIOP Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 2005.
48. Settoon, R.P. & Mossholder, K.W. Relationship quality and relationship context as antecedents of person and task focused interpersonal citizenship behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2002, 87, 255-67.
49. Shaver, P.R. & Brennan, K.A. Attachment styles and the 'Big Five' personality traits: Their connections with each other and with romantic relationship outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1992, 18, 536-45.
50. Shaver, P.R. & Mikulincer, M. Attachment-related psychodynamics. Attachment and Human Development, 2002, 4, 133-61.
51. Smith, E.R., Murphy, J. & Coats, S. Attachment to groups: Theory and measurement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1999, 77, 94-110.
52. Spitzmuller, M., Van Dyne, L. & Ilies, R. Organizational citizenship behavior: A review and extension of its nomological network. In C.L. Cooper & J. Barling (Eds), Handbook of organizational behavior. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2008.
53. Van der Vegt, G.S., Bunderson, J.S. & Oosterhof, A. Expertness diversity and interpersonal helping in teams: Why those who need the most help end up getting the least. Academy of Management Journal, 2006, 49, 877-93.
54. Van Dyne, L. & LePine, J.A. Helping and voice extra-role behaviors: Evidence of construct and predictive validity. Academy of Management Journal, 1998, 41, 108-19.
55. Wasserman, S. & Faust, K. Social network analysis: Methods and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
56. Xu, R. Measuring explained variation in linear mixed effects models. Statistics in Medicine, 2003, 22, 3527-41.