attachment on later Flashcards
why
How does early attachment impact later functioning?
Internal Working Model (Main, Kaplan & Cassidy, 1985).
*Cognitive representation of world, self and others:
*Determines models of self and others.
*Framework based on early attachment experiences.
*Secure: expect others to be responsive, available and sensitive.
*Ambivalent: expect others to be inconsistent
attachment and adult personality
Main (1985)
Main, Kaplan & George (1985) – Adult Attachment Interview (AAI)
Purpose:
Explores how early attachment patterns are reflected in adult relationships.
Method:
Structured interview assessing how adults recall and reflect on childhood attachments.
Findings: Mapped to Attachment Styles
AAI Category Internal Working Model Childhood Attachment (Strange Situation)
Autonomous (open, coherent narrative) = Positive self & others= Secure
Dismissing (idealized or poor memory)= Positive self, negative others=Avoidant
Preoccupied (anger, passivity)=Negative self, positive others=Anxious (Resistant)
Unresolved (disorganized thinking)=Negative self & others=Disorganised
adult attachment-
Bartholemew(1990)
1. Secure Attachment
Low Anxiety, Low Avoidance
Characteristics: People with a secure attachment style tend to have positive views of themselves and others. They are comfortable with intimacy and are able to depend on others without feeling overly anxious or fearful. They manage conflicts in relationships well and are generally satisfied in their romantic and personal connections.
In relationships: They are trusting, supportive, and can express their emotions without fear of rejection.
- Anxious-Preoccupied Attachment
High Anxiety, Low Avoidance
Characteristics: Individuals with an anxious-preoccupied style often worry about their relationships, fearing abandonment or rejection. They are highly sensitive to their partner’s actions and tend to seek constant reassurance. They may become overly dependent on others for validation and may display emotional highs and lows.
In relationships: They crave closeness and intimacy, sometimes to the point of being clingy or demanding. They may often feel insecure or unworthy of love.
- Dismissive-Avoidant Attachment
Low Anxiety, High Avoidance
Characteristics: People with a dismissive-avoidant style tend to have a positive view of themselves but a negative view of others. They are often uncomfortable with closeness and may prioritize independence over intimacy. They might distance themselves from emotional situations and may downplay the importance of relationships.
In relationships: They often avoid emotional intimacy and may appear distant or uninterested in forming deep connections. They prefer to deal with things on their own and may suppress their emotions.
- Fearful-Avoidant Attachment (also known as Disorganized)
High Anxiety, High Avoidance
Characteristics: Individuals with a fearful-avoidant attachment style experience both anxiety and avoidance in their relationships. They often desire close relationships but are afraid of being hurt or rejected. This creates an inner conflict where they may pull away when they get too close to others, despite wanting intimacy.
In relationships: They can be unpredictable, oscillating between wanting intimacy and pushing others away. They may struggle with trust and are often confused about their feelings, resulting in chaotic or unstable relationships.
Key Dimensions:
Anxiety: The degree to which someone worries about being rejected or abandoned in relationships.
Avoidance: The degree to which someone avoids emotional intimacy or closeness with others.
attachment and friendship
Attachment to groups
(Crisp, Farrow et al., 2009)
*Secure more likely to seek social
support from family and friends in
times of need, also more likely to
seek support from groups.
*Secure more likely to seek
support from friendship groups
when stressed by a relationship
threat.
attachment and romantic relationships
Romantic relationships
(Overall & Sibley, 2008)
*Avoidant: Discomfort with closeness, strong
independence, more distant in relationships,
more likely to cheat.
*Anxious / Ambivalent: Report more extreme
need for closeness, fear of rejection, and
greater jealousy in relationships, more likely
to try to restore relationship with partner or put
up with maltreatment.
* Securely attached more likely to select securely attached mates and vice
versa (Collins et al., 2002).
* Two insecure partners = more chance of negative marital outcomes
(Dyrenforthet al., 2010)
attachment and parenting
- Intergenerational (e.g. Bailey et al. 2007)
*Mothers’own attachment predicts childattachment
attachment (secure vs insecure 75% of the time).
how we conceptualise our own attachment we take forward into our own parenting
- 75% of the time your attachment will predict attachment of child
abusive is intergenerational- the trauma impacts this as well as lifestyle choices BUT not always (Curran et al., 2019)
ER-
