Attachment(influence of early attachment)

Question 1

Role of internal working model -

Answer 1

• Concept from Bowlby
• Similar to a schema
• A mental representation of the world in a model in which individuals can predict their environment. Based on attachment and gives a person an expectation about future relationships.
• They learn about relationships from experience and learns what relationships are and how partners behave.
• ‘operable model’ from being based on prediction of peoples behaviour in the future.

Question 2

Key study Hazen and Shaver of testing the internal working model - procedure

Answer 2

• Used a ‘love quiz’
• Asked questions on current attachment experiences and attachment history.
• Used to understand childhood attachment types.
• Analysed 620 responses
  -205 from men
  -415 from women
  -fair-cross section of the public

Question 3

Key study Hazen and Shaver of testing the internal working model - findings

Answer 3

• When analysing history of attachment, it was seen similar to Infancy.
• 56% - were secure
• 25% - were avoidant
• 19% were resistant
• Found positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences.
• Securely attached adults were happy with their love experiences and were friendly and trusting.
• Relationships were more enduring of being on average of 10 years. Compared to roughly 5/6 years for resistant and avoidant.

Question 4

Behaviours influenced by the internal working model - Romantic relationships -

Answer 4

Hazen and Shaver study has shown a link between early attachments and later relationships and securely attached individuals led on to have longer lasting romantic relationships.

Question 5

Behaviours influenced by the internal working model - poor parenting

Answer 5

Lack of internal working model means that children lack a the opportunity to form relationships with their own children.

Question 6

Overly determinist - (the belief that all actions and events result from other actions, events, or situations, so people cannot in fact choose what to do)

Answer 6

Hazen and Shaver suggest that very early experiences have fixed effect on later adult relationships (through the internal working model)
- Insecurely attached children are doomed to experience unsatisfactory later relationships that aren’t long lasting as adults.
This is seen as not true based on evidence from Simpson et al, where the research does not suggest that an individuals past determines the future course of an individuals relationship.