Effects of early experiences on adult relationships Flashcards
Explain the attachment theory
Adult relationships are likely to reflect early attachment styles (i.e. secure or insecure), as experiences with the primary attachment figure influence the child’s expectation of similar experiences in later relationships. Bowlby proposed that individuals develop an internal working model of the self in relation to the primary care giver (PCG). these internal working models influence the child’s expectations about future relationships.
Discuss research into the attachment theory
Support from Hazan and Shaver - published a ‘love quiz’ in an American newspaper, collecting information from people about their early attachment experiences. They found that people who were securely attached as infants tended to have happy and lasting love relationships in adulthood. these people also believed that love was enduring and based on mutual trust. insecure types, on the other hand, found adult relationships more difficult, were more likely to be divorced and felt that true love was rare.
In addition, Morrison et al - asked male and female college students in the USA to complete questionnaires describing their current or more recent relationship. they also completed an attachment style inventory to assess their attachment type. Students with avoidant attachment types described more hostility in their adult relationships than students with a secure attachment type.
Similarly, a review of studies in this area found that security of attachment was associated with greater and more responsive self-disclosure and with less rejecting and more supportive interpersonal interaction. all this research indicates that early attachment experiences do indeed have a great influence on adult relationships.
Further evaluate/AID the attachment theory
However, much research in this area is based on self-report measures which can be retrospective (based on fuzzy memories), subjective (without input from the PCG) and subject to social desirability/demand issues. Also, only a correlation is established, not cause and effect. Therefore it is possible that factors other than childhood experience, for example genetics, may be important in the development of adult relationships. This illustrates one of the difficulties for psychology as a science. Psychologists are often interested in complex issues such as relationships, which are difficult to measure in objective ways (operationalize), meaning that such research often risks having low validity and may not lead to firm conclusions.
Further support for the association between early childhood experiences and adult relationships comes from research into reactive attachment disorder. This is characterised by non-development of child’s social abilities as a result of early neglect. The pervasive nature of this disorder means that it can interfere with the development of subsequent relationships including intimate relationships in adulthood. this disorder is therefore consistent with the attachment theory.
A criticism of attachment theory is that individuals do not behave the same way in every relationship, due to the interplay between two people’s attachment styles. An insecure person may be generally lacking in trust in adult relationships, but they may act very differently when they are with a secure, trusting partner. this suggest that attachment theory is oversimplified.
Although there is evidence for an association between attachment types in infancy and adult relationships, an alternative approach to explaining this is social learning theory. Parke suggested that this association may be more simply explained as due to skills learnt from parents via modelling (observation and imitation) NOT due to attachment styles. This seems to present a compelling alterative approach to explain this evidence.
Describe facial imprinting theory
Boothroyd suggested that children who have a positive relationship with their mothers/fathers will ‘imprint’ their parents face as a ‘model’ of what a good partner looks like.
Discuss research evidence into facial imprinting theory
Evidence to support this cam from an experiment where 49 girls were asked to rate men’s faces as attractive/not attractive. The girls answered questions on their relationships with their father while growing up. Boothroyd then analysed faces of the fathers (from pictures the girls brought in) and compared them to the faces the girls rated. They found girls who had a better relationship with their father growing up, rated faces similar to their father as more attractive, so supporting facial imprinting theory.
Describe Father absent theory
This emerged in the 1960s from research after WW2 on the effects of fathers being away fighting on children’s development. A review of literature (1996) showed:-
- boys were initially more feminine and then became overly masculine (e.g. aggressive), had lower IQ and poor school performance and low relationship stability.
- girls had more emotional problems (e.g. low self esteem), showed more promiscuity and higher divorce rates.
Discuss research evidence into father absent theory
There is empirical support for father absent theory, e.g. ELLIS - carried out longitudinal studies in USA and NZ on children aged 3-18 years. Those who had grown up without a stable father figure in the family were seen to have higher levels of sexual activity and higher incidents of teenage pregnancy. Father absent girls (FAGs) start their periods earlier (at least 15 separate studies show this), and the girls faces were rated as looking more mature (Boothroyd). This evidence seems to support the idea that the absence of a stable father figure in childhood predisposes girls and boys to engage in earlier and less stable adult relationships.
Give a general evaluation/AID of theories of the influence of childhood experiences
Research into the influence of early experiences on adult relationships is socially sensitive as it involves asking people about intimate aspects of their lives. This can be distressing for participants - particularly if they end up feeling that all their relationships are doomed because of early insecure attachments. This is also an area which is sensitive for anyone who has had a less than ideal early relationships even if they are not participants in a study. Psychology has a duty to ensure that people are not misled into taking this overly negative and determinist view, as it is in fact the case that many highly successful individuals have demonstrated free will and overcome early adversity to form satisfying adult relationships. Factors such as life events and genetic determinants of personality can influence later relationships, making the link between childhood experiences and adult relationships probabilistic rather than deterministic.
