Abstract
Affective bonding, social attention, and intersubjective capabilities are all conditions for jealousy, and are deficient in
autism. Thus, examining jealousy and attachment may elucidate the socioemotional deficit in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Jealousy was provoked in 30 high-functioning children with ASD (HFASD) and 30 typical children (ages 3–6 years) through two
triadic social (storybook-reading) scenarios – mother-child-rival and stranger-child-rival. A control nonsocial scenario included
mother/stranger-book. For both groups, higher jealousy expressions emerged for mother than stranger, and for social than nonsocial
scenarios. Attachment security (using Attachment Q-Set) was lower for HFASD than typical groups, but attachment correlated
negatively with jealous verbalizations for both groups and with jealous eye gazes for HFASD. Implications for understanding jealousy’s developmental complexity and the socioemotional deficit in ASD are discussed.
autism. Thus, examining jealousy and attachment may elucidate the socioemotional deficit in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Jealousy was provoked in 30 high-functioning children with ASD (HFASD) and 30 typical children (ages 3–6 years) through two
triadic social (storybook-reading) scenarios – mother-child-rival and stranger-child-rival. A control nonsocial scenario included
mother/stranger-book. For both groups, higher jealousy expressions emerged for mother than stranger, and for social than nonsocial
scenarios. Attachment security (using Attachment Q-Set) was lower for HFASD than typical groups, but attachment correlated
negatively with jealous verbalizations for both groups and with jealous eye gazes for HFASD. Implications for understanding jealousy’s developmental complexity and the socioemotional deficit in ASD are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-12
- DOI 10.1007/s10802-012-9664-1
- Authors
- Nirit Bauminger-Zvieli, School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900 Israel
- Dana Shoham Kugelmass, School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900 Israel
- Journal Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Online ISSN 1573-2835
- Print ISSN 0091-0627