The role of intelligence in the relationship between attachment styles and cognitive schemas in psychotherapists

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the relationships between attachment styles (avoidant and anxious) and cognitive schemas and also the role of intelligence in this relationship. The participants of the study were 62 psychologists or future psychologists aged between 23 and 51 years, M = 34.38, SD = 7.18. Of these, 12 were psychology students, 54 were autonomous psychologists, and two were experimented psychologists. Four of the participants were men, and 68 were women. As for marital status, 23 were unmarried, 19 were in a relationship, and 30 were married. The instruments used were The Attachment Style Questionnaire, ASQ (α = .94), Young Cognitive Schema Questionnaire - Short Form, YSQ-S3 (α = .98), and Analogical Transfer Test (CAS++) for the measurement of intelligence. The results showed that avoidant and anxious attachment styles are positively associated with the development of maladaptive cognitive schemas in all the five domains. Intelligence does not moderate the relationship between attachment styles and cognitive schemas. In the personal development of psychologists and psychotherapists, it is necessary to augment maladaptive cognitive schemas through specific psychoeducational programs. Further studies are needed to identify other factors that may be involved in the development of cognitive schemas.