Associations of detachment and social contributions with affect and social connectedness in trait and state contexts
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Detachment, a maladaptive variant of extraversion, is associated with emotional and social abnormalities and with increased psychopathology risk. Social contributions, or perceived social influence and value, are related to human needs for connectedness which may be disrupted in detachment. It is unclear, however, if social contributions influence subjective experiences in detachment. Therefore, these two studies tested how social contribution levels impact associations of detachment with emotional and social outcomes in trait (average) and state (momentary) contexts using undergraduate samples. In Study 1 ( N = 445), when estimated as latent variables, trait-level social contributions were a significant moderator of detachment with trait-level positive affect such that as contributions increased, the negative association became stronger; all other interactions were non-significant. In Study 2 ( N = 146), which used an online game to manipulate contribution levels, the associations of detachment with state-level positive affect and social connectedness were negative and significant (βs < −0.24, ps < 0.05) following high contributions, and were positive and non-significant (βs < 0.15, ps > 0.19) following low contributions. Associations of detachment with state-level negative affect were non-significant across contributions conditions. Altogether, our findings provide evidence for aberrant and normative trait-level and state-level subjective experiences in detachment and may inform psychosocial interventions.
Institutions: University of California, Irvine, Chapman University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,170
OpenAlex ID: W4416295750