attachment- influence of early attachment on later relationships Flashcards
first attachment is a template for future relationships
-QUALITY of a child’s first attachment is crucial because it provides a TEMPLATE that will affect the nature of their future relationships
-due to the influence of the internal working model created by that first attachment.
good attachment = good relationship expectations
-child whose first experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable attachment figure assumes this is how all relationships are meant to be
-will then seek out functional relationships and behave functionally within them.
bad attachment = bad relationship expectations
-child with bad experiences of their first attachment will bring these experiences to bear on later relationships
-may mean they struggle to form relationships in the first place or they do not behave appropriately in them
Childhood.
Link with attachment type and friendships and bullying
-securely attached babies tend to go on to form the best quality childhood friendships (Kerns 1994)
-Securely attached children are less likely to be involved
-insecure-avoidant children are most likely to be victims
-insecure-resistant are most likely to be bullies (Myron-Wilson and Smith 1998).
Adulthood.
Link with parenting style and romantic relationships.
-People base their parenting style on their internal working model
-Bailey et al. (2007) found the majority of mothers had the same attachment classification to their babies as they had to their own mothers
-Hazan and Shaver (below) found a link between attachment type and quality of adult romantic relationships.
hazan and shaver (1987) the love quiz: procedure
-analysed 620 replies to a ‘love quiz’ printed in an American local newspaper
-quiz assessed three different aspects of relationships:
(1) current and most important relationship
(2) general love experiences
(3) attachment type
who used the love quiz to investigate link between attachment type and the quality of adult romantic relationships?
hazan and shaver (1987)
hazan and shaver (1987) the love quiz: findings and conclusions
-respondents’ attachment type was reflected in their romantic relationships:
-secure respondents were the most likely to have good and longer-lasting romantic relationships.
-avoidant respondents tended to be jealous and fear intimacy.
ao3 of influence of early attachment on later relationships: strong research support
-many studies showing link between infant attachment style and later development, including bullying success in romantic relationships and parenting
-review by Fearon and Roisman (2017) concluded infant attachment influenced development in many ways. disorganised attachment was most predictive e.g. of later mental disorder
-means insecure attachment appears to convey a disadvantage for children’s development
ao3 of influence of early attachment on later relationships: CA for strong research support
-not all evidence supports the link between infant attachment and later development
-e.g the Regensburg longitudinal study (Becker-Stoll et al. 2008) found no evidence of continuity of attachment type from age 1 to 16 years
-means it’s not clear how strongly attachment influences later development.
ao3 of influence of early attachment on later relationships: validity issues w/ retrospective studies
-most studies assess p’s attachment type in adulthood (not in infancy) using questionnaires or interviews. rely on honest answers
-further problem is that these studies assess attachment in late childhood or adulthood and assume that it has remained the same since infancy.
-means that the measures of attachment may not be valid
ao3 of influence of early attachment on later relationships: confounding variables
-some studies do make assessments of infant attachment and follow up children, assessing their later development
-However, these studies may be affected by confounding variables. For example, parenting style and personality might affect both attachment and later development.
-means that we can never be entirely sure that it is infant attachment and not some other factor that is influencing later development.
