Influence of early attachment on later relationships

Question 1

What is an internal working model?

Answer 1

A schema based on a person’s expectations of relationships as a result of their attachment with their primary caregiver

Question 2

What are 3 types of relationships in later life that early attachment can have an impact on?

Answer 2

1. Romantic relationships
2. Childhood relationships
3. Relationships with own children as parents

Question 3

State a study which has showed a link between romantic relationships and early attachment

Answer 3

Hazan and Shaver (1987)

Question 4

State 2 studies which have shown a link between childhood relationships and early attachment

Answer 4

1. Sroufe et al. (2005)= Minnesota parent-child study
2. Myron-Wilson & Smith (1998)

Question 5

State a study which has shown a link between poor parenting and early attachment

Answer 5

Bailey et al. (2007)

Question 6

Describe Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) Romantic Relationships study

Answer 6

Romantic Relationships: Hazan and Shaver (1987): Procedure: Aimed to study the association between attachment and adult relationships.

• Placed a ‘Love Quiz’ in an American local newspaper
• Quiz= 3 sections:

1. Assessed adult’s current/most important relationship
2. Assessed adult’s attitudes towards love (assessment of internal working model)
3. Assessed childhood attachments

Findings: Found a positive correlation between attachment type and experiences of love:

• Securely attached respondents = most likely to have good and longer lasting romantic relationships- 10 years
• Insecure-resistant = on average 5 years
• Insecure- avoidant = on average 6 years
• Insecure-avoidant= more jealous and fearful of intimacy

Question 7

Describe Sroufe et al.’s (2005) Minnesota parent-child study

Answer 7

Childhood friendships:

1. Sroufe et al. (2005)= Minnesota parent-child study

Procedure: Followed participants from infancy to late adolescence and found continuity between early attachment and later social behaviour

Findings: Securely attached infants= highest rated for social competence, less isolated and more popular in later childhood.

Question 8

Describe Myron-Wilson & Smith (1998) bullying and attachment study

Answer 8

Myron-Wilson & Smith (1998)

Procedure: Assessed link between attachment and bullying.

• Issued questionnaires to 196 children aged 7-11 from London. Findings: Secure children= more likely to be involved in bullying
• Insecure- avoidant = most likely to be victims
• Insecure- resistant = most likely to be bullies.

Question 9

Describe Bailey’s (2007) study of relationships with children as a parent

Answer 9

Relationships with children as a parent: Bailey et al. (2007)
Procedure: Assessed 99 mothers with 1-year old baby on the quality of attachment using the stange situation.

• Also assessed quality of attachment of mothers with their own mothers when they were a child using an interview procedure Findings: Mothers who had poor attachments with their own mothers= more likely to have poor attachments with their own child.

Question 10

What are the two strengths of the influence on early attachments on later relationships?

Answer 10

Real-world application- Understanding how early attachment influences adult relationships can be useful as it can lead to interventions for those with poorer quality relationships with parents.
E.G. Relationship counselling is available to help prevent issues with adult relationships  research can lead to programmes that improve the life of those who may have had insecure attachments as a child.

Abundance of research support- McCarthy (1999)- Wanted to see if there was a relationship between an infant’s attachment type and their adult relationships. They found that securely attached individuals had the best friendships and relationships. This increases the validity and reliability.
Counter- there has been studies which have contradicted these findings. For example, Zimmerman (2000) (see your evaluation sheet from Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment.)
Zimmerman et al (2000) - longitudinal study of German children. Attachment type was assessed between 12 and 18 months by seeing how they respond to strangers and separation. They were then interviewed at 16 years focussing on relationships with their parents. They also recorded life events e.g. parental divorce or death during their childhood. Found that infant attachment type was not a good predictor of attachments in adolescence.
More important was the impact of life events - suggests that continuity may only apply when serious life events have not had an impact on the child.

Question 11

What are the two limitations of the influence of early attachment on later relationships?

Answer 11

Research is correlational- The research linking the internal working model/early attachment with later relationship experiences is correlational rather than experimental- can’t claim that the relationship between early attachment and later love style is one of cause and effect. Could be possible that later love styles are caused by something different such as an infant’s temperament- this affects the way a parent responds. This may be a determining factor in infant attachment type.
This means that researchers cannot confidently claim that the internal working model determines later relationships.

Use of questionnaires and interviews- Very few longitudinal studies (they don’t assess attachment in early life and then revisit the same person later in life). Instead most studies make use of interviews or questionnaires to assess attachment type- depends on the respondent being honest and having a realistic view of their own relationships. Also requires them to be retrospective (look back to early relationships in infancy) which may also lack validity as their memories may not be entirely accurate.
Counter- Some longitudinal studies have shown results consistent with Hazan and Shaver.
Research investigated participants who were securely attached as infants- found they were rated as having higher social competence as children, were closer to their friends at age 16 and were emotionally attached to their romantic partners in early adulthood.
These longitudinal studies support the view that attachment type does predict relationships in adult life and may offer a more accurate representation of early attachment influences.