Type of Attachment and Social Cognition Characteristics in Orphans

Abstract

Violations of social cognition significantly reduce quality of life. Studies of social cognition in orphans are rare while the data are conflicting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the type of attachment and peculiarities of social cognition in orphans. The author hypothesized that it will be difficult task for the orphans to recognize emotions. The study involved 57 people. The main group included 39 orphans living in an orphanage (25 boys, 14 girls). The average age was 14 years. The control subjects were 18 secondary school students living in the birth families (12 boys and 6 girls). The average age - 14 years. The results show that adolescent orphans have more difficulty interacting with other people, experience less pleasure from communicating, often use avoidance strategy. The number of orphans with avoidant attachment type is 1.5 times greater than in the control group. It is concluded that the type of attachment plays an important role in forming of social cognition. The results could be useful in basic and additional training of young people of this category

Keywords

• orphans
• teenagers
• social cognition
• attachment
• social anhedonia