Attachment - Influence Of Early Attachments On Later Relationships Flashcards
What is the definition of childhood relationships?
Childhood relationships are affiliations with other people in childhood, including friends and classmates, and with adults such as teachers.
What is the definition of adult relationships?
Adult relationships are those relationships the child goes on to have later in life as an adult. These include friendships and working relationships but most critically relationships with romantic partners and the person’s own children.
What is the definition of internal working models?
Internal working models are the mental representations we all carry of our attachment to our primary caregiver. They are important in affecting our future relationships because they carry our perception of what relationships are like.
What is the internal working model, and why is it important?
John Bowlby (1969) suggested that a child having their first relationship with their primary attachment figure forms a mental representation of this relationship. This internal working model acts as a template for future relationships.
The quality of the child’s first attachment influences the nature of future relationships.
A child with bad experiences may struggle to form healthy relationships later, behaving inappropriately or displaying insecure behaviors.
How does attachment type influence relationships in later childhood?
Attachment type is associated with the quality of peer relationships in childhood.
Securely attached infants tend to form the best childhood friendships.
Insecurely attached infants are more likely to have friendship difficulties (Kerns 1994).
Bullying behavior can be predicted by attachment type. Rowan Myron-Wilson and Peter Smith (1998) assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using standard questionnaires in 196 children aged 7-11 from London.
Secure children were unlikely to be involved in bullying.
Insecure-avoidant children were most likely to be victims.
Insecure-resistant children were most likely to be bullies.
How does attachment type influence adult relationships?
A study by Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver (1987) used a ‘love quiz’ printed in a local newspaper to analyze romantic relationships and friendships:
620 responses:
56% identified as secure.
25% identified as insecure-avoidant.
19% identified as insecure-resistant.
Secure respondents reported better and longer-lasting romantic experiences.
Avoidant respondents tended to reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy.
How is attachment reflected in parenting?
Internal working models affect the ability to parent their own children.
Bailey et al. (2007) studied 99 mothers and found the majority of women had the same attachment classification as their babies and their own mothers.
What is one evaluation point?
Point: Bowlby’s theory of internal working models assumes a strong continuity between early attachment and later relationships, but the evidence is inconsistent.
Evidence: McCarthy (1999) found that securely attached individuals had better quality adult friendships and romantic relationships, supporting Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis. However, Zimmerman (2000) found little relationship between infant attachment type and adolescent attachment, challenging the universality of this theory.
Explanation: This discrepancy suggests that while attachment may play a role, its influence might be moderated or altered by other factors, such as life experiences.
Link: Therefore, the mixed evidence weakens the idea that early attachment is a definitive predictor of later relationships, though it may still contribute as part of a broader set of influences.
What is one evaluation point?
Point: Studies into the influence of early attachment often rely on self-report techniques, which are inherently limited.
Evidence: These methods, such as interviews or questionnaires, depend on participants’ honesty and accurate recall of childhood experiences. Retrospective assessments are particularly problematic, as they rely on adults reconstructing memories from infancy that may be distorted or forgotten.
Explanation: This reliance on subjective measures reduces the validity of findings, as they may not accurately reflect the influence of early attachment on later relationships. Furthermore, these measures are likely to reflect participants’ current mental states rather than their true early experiences.
Link: As a result, the use of self-report techniques challenges the reliability of Bowlby’s theory, suggesting that findings may not fully capture the unconscious internal working model described in his hypothesis.
What is one evaluation point?
The correlations found between early attachment types and later relationship quality do not prove causation, as other factors may influence the outcomes.
Evidence: For example, parenting style and a child’s innate temperament are likely to play a significant role in both the child’s attachment type and later relationship quality. Research has shown that these external factors can directly shape an individual’s interpersonal behaviors and social interactions, confounding the effects attributed solely to attachment.
Explanation: This means that Bowlby’s emphasis on the internal working model may overstate the role of early attachment in determining later relationships. Environmental and genetic factors likely contribute equally to outcomes, suggesting a more holistic view of development is required.
Link: Therefore, while attachment type is associated with later outcomes, it is not a sole determinant, highlighting the complexity of developmental influences beyond Bowlby’s original theory.
What is one evaluation point?
Point: Bowlby’s theory may exaggerate the long-term impact of early attachment, as not all individuals with insecure attachments experience relationship difficulties.
Evidence: Clarke and Clarke (1998) argued that insecure attachment increases the risk of later problems but does not guarantee them. Many individuals with insecure attachments form healthy and fulfilling relationships, demonstrating resilience and the role of other factors, such as supportive life experiences or therapy.
Explanation: This probabilistic view suggests that while early attachment may increase vulnerability, it does not doom individuals to poor outcomes. Bowlby’s theory might be overly deterministic and fail to account for the diversity of human experiences.
Link: Thus, the internal working model can be viewed as one factor among many influencing relationship outcomes, supporting a more nuanced understanding of development.
