Associations of detachment and social contributions with affect and social connectedness in trait and state contexts

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. • When contributions are high, detachment is linked to lower trait and state positive affect. • When contributions are high, detachment is linked to lower state social connectedness. • When contributions are low, detachment is unrelated to trait or state positive affect. • When contributions are low, detachment is unrelated to state social connectedness. • Contributions do not impact relations of detachment with trait or state negative affect.