Influence of early attachment on later relationships Flashcards
what did Bowbly say about the influence of early attachment on later relationships
Bowlby made it very clear that childhood relationships with their parents had a large effect on how they developed in adulthood.
describe the internal working model
This is a mental representation based on infants primary attachment which affects later relationships. The internal working model will affect the nature of future relationships including how they will interact with their own children.
what did Gerad McCarthy study?
he studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were infants to establish their early attachment type. Those assessed as securely attached had the best friendships and relationships
describe the study of Hazan and Shaver
Hazan and Shaver analysed 620 replies to a love quiz printed in american local newspaper.
56% of respondents were identified as securely attached with 25% insecure avoidant and 19% insecure resistant.
Secure attachments =most likely to have good and longer lasting romantic experiences
Avoidant resistant = revealed jealousy and fear of intimacy
describe relationships In adulthood as a parent
People tend to base their parenting style on their internal working model so attachment types tend to be passed on through generations of a family
what is continuity?
Securely attached adults have better relationships, friendships and tend to form secure attachments with their own children.
Evaluation: weakness
evidence on continuity of attachment is mixed
e.g some studies do appear to support continuity and so provide evidence to support internal working models.
However, Zimmerman assessed infant attachment types and adolescent attachment to parents. The findings indicated that there was very little relationship between quality of infant and adolescent attachment.
This is a problem because this outcome is not what would be expected if the internal working models were important in development
Evaluation: weakness
studies lack validity
e.g many assessments of early attachments and current day attachments rely on the use of questionnaires and interviews as a means of categorising participants as a specific attachment type.
This is a weakness because this data is retrospective, there is a high chance that the data being collected in these studies is inaccurate and therefore calls into question the validity of the research.
Evaluation: weakness
casuality
a problem with research assessing the internal working model is that association between early and later life attachments does not always mean causality.
e.g there are alternative explanations for the continuity that is often observed between infant and adult attachments.
A third environmental factor such as parenting style might have a direct effect on both attachment and the child’s attachment and the child’s ability to form relationships with others.
