Tue, 06/27/2023 - 20:53
The main results of an investigation carried out by CIMCYC researchers indicate that people with high anxious attachment to a partner-characterized by a constant need for reciprocity, closeness and intimacy, as well as by a fear of abandonment-more frequently engage in cyberabusive behaviors in their relationships. Such behaviors include cybercontrol behaviors, aimed at controlling and monitoring the partner through digital media (e.g., monitoring their whereabouts, accessing their personal accounts or checking their cell phone without their consent) and explicit manifestations of direct cyberaggression, which intentionality involves inflicting harm (e.g., insulting the partner, threatening or humiliating them through technologies). Furthermore, the findings provide a plausible explanation for the relationship between anxious attachment and partner cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, the findings provide a plausible explanation for the relationship between anxious attachment and the perpetration of partner cyber monitoring. Specifically, the results indicated that individuals with anxious attachment engage in more electronic monitoring of the partner in social networks, i.e., they tend to check their online activity for information (e.g., they pay attention to updates on the partner's profile, view the photos they posts, or read the comments they receives from other users). This online habit, rather than alleviating concerns about the relationship, seems to elicit high levels of romantic jealousy; that is, negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity that are experienced as a result of perceiving a threat, real or imagined, to the romantic relationship.