Attachment : Effect Of Early Attachment On Later Relationships Flashcards
Outline the influence of early attachment on later relationships.
> Attachment researchers believe the influence of early attachment on later relationships is mediated by the internal working model (IWM).
Bowlby described the internal working model (IWM) as a mental model (similar to a
schema), formed in response to early attachment experiences. It provides a mental representation of our sense of self-worth and our expectations of whether others will meet
our needs.
According to Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis, IMWs are relatively stable as individuals age. Therefore, the IWM an individual forms in early childhood can how we think, feel and behave in later social interactions, thereby influencing later relationships.
For example, a securely attached child whose caregiver(s) effectively and
consistently respond to their needs is likely to develop an IWM with high self-worth and
positive expectations of others. As they age, this positive IWM will support them to establish healthy social relationships, characterized by comfort with intimacy (low avoidance) and low
relationship anxiety.
However, an insecurely attached child with negative early attachment
experiences (i.e., a caregiver who did not effectively and consistently respond to their needs)
will develop a negative internal working model, characterized by low self-worth and/or
negative expectations that others will meet their needs. As they age, this negative IWM may
contribute to them establishing unhealthy social relationships, characterized by a discomfort with intimacy (high avoidance) and/or high levels of relationship anxiety.
How has Harlow’s research has provided support for the effect of early attachment on later relationships?
Harlow found that monkeys raised by wire surrogate mothers experienced severe social problems
in later life, including, difficulties socialising with other monkeys, mating and rearing their young. Harlow found that monkeys raised by wire surrogate mothers experienced severe social problems
in later life, including, difficulties socialising with other monkeys, mating and rearing their young. Harlow’s research strongly suggests that the negative early attachment experiences of young
monkeys has consequences for all forms of later relationships. However, Harlow’s research was on
animals, so there are issues with generalising these findings on the effects of early attachment on later relationships to humans. This is a particular issue when seeking to understand the role of the internal working model as a mediating process between early attachment experiences and later relationships. Although it’s clear early attachment experiences of monkeys do affect their later relationships, it’s not clear this is because they have developed internal working models with issues around attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. The differences between monkeys and humans (e.g., lack of language) mean that it would be wrong to assume that the internal working models of monkeys operate in the same way as for humans.
What research support is there for the link between early attachment and adult romantic relationships?
Kirkpatrick and Davis (1994) used questionnaires to study 300 dating couples for three years. They found that those identified as having a secure attachment in childhood were more likely to have stable and satisfying relationships than those with insecure attachment types in childhood. These findings confirm the predictions of attachment theory on the link between early
attachment and later adult relationships. This finding also fits with Bowlby’s claim that the internal working model mediates the link between early attachment and later relationships. If, as Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis claims, internal working models are stable as we age, then we would expect the securely attached children in this study to carry with them into adulthood a positive internal working model that would support the stable and satisfying adult relationships observed by the
researchers. This finding is especially compelling as this study has a large sample size, meaning its
findings on the link between early attachment and later relationship behaviour are likely to be
representative of adults outside the sample.
What research into the effects of early attachment on later relationships has significant methodological issues?
Researchers investigating this topic – like Kirkpatrick and Davis (see first AO3 paragraph) - tend to
rely on participants providing self-report data on their experiences of early attachment and later
relationships. Researchers will then typically look to identify if these experiences are correlated. This raises several issues. Firstly, the validity of self-report data is questionable as it depends on
participants being honest about their later relationships. Since discussing personal relationships is
socially sensitive, social desirability bias could bias respondants to give answers that make them look good, rather than accurately describing their behaviour. Secondly, the validity of the self-report data
on early attachment experiences is especially problematic. This is because researchers often assess early attachment by having participants recall distant childhood experiences, and this undermines the ecological validity of the data. Lastly, correlation does not show causation. This means that just
because researchers establish a correlation between, say, negative attachment experiences and problems with later relationships, this does not necessarily mean that the negative early attachment experiences caused the later problems with relationships. There could be a third variable that explains their early attachment experiences and their later relationship behaviour. For example, it
could be that a child’s temperament causes them to develop an attachment type and to develop behaviours in later relationships. This would mean early attachment experiences are not a significant
cause of later relationship behaviours, as Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis implies
