Influence of early attachment on later relationships Flashcards
Internal working model
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Bowlby suggested a baby’s first rekationship w/ PAF leads to mental rep of this relationship
This IWM acts as template for future childhood & adult relationships
Baby whose 1st experience is of a loving relationship will assume this is how relationships are meant to be
They will then seek out functional relationships & behave functionally w/in them
Child w/ bad experiences of 1st attachment will bring these bad experiences to bear on later relationships
They may struggle to form relationships or may not behave appropriately w/in relationships
Relationships in childhood
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Attachment type is associated w/ quality of peer relationships in childhood
Securely attached babies tend to go on to form best quality childhood friendships whereas insecurely attached babies later have friendship difficults (Kerns)
Bulling behaviour can be predicted by attachment type
Myron-Wilson & Smith assessed attachment type & bullying involvement using standard questionnaires in 196 children aged 7-11 from London
Secure children were very unlikely to be involved in bullying, I-A children most likely to be victims & I-R children most likely to be bullies
Romantic relationships in adulthood - Hazan & Shaver
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Hazan & Shaver analysed 620 replies to love quiz which assessed the individual’s relationship, general love experiences & attachment type
56% secure, 25% I-A & 19% I-R
Those reporing secure attachments were most likely to have good & longer-lasting romantic experiences
Avoidant respondents tended to reveal jealousy & fear of intimacy
Findings suggest patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships
Romantic relationships in adulthood - McCarthy
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Studied 40 women who had been assed when they were babies to establish attachment type
Thoses assessed as securely attached has best adult friendships & romantic relationships
Those classed as I-R as babies had particular problems maintaining friendships whilst those classed as I-A struggled w/ intimacy in romantic relationships
Parental relationships (with own children) in adulthood
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
People tend to base their parenting style on IWM so attachment type tends to be passed through generations of family
Bailey et al considered attachments of 99 mothers to their babies & to their own mothers
Mother-baby attachment was assessed w/ SS & mother’s attachment to their mother assessed using adult attachment interview
Majority of women had same attachment classification to their babies and their own mothers
Evaluation: Research support
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Strength: supporting evidence
Reviews of studies linking attachment to later development have concluded that early attachment consistently predicts later attachment, emotional well-being & attachment to own children
How strong relationship is between early attachment type & later development depends on attachment types & later development
Whilst I-A attachment seems to convey fairly mild disadvantages for any aspect of development, disorganised attachment is strongly associated w/ later mental disorder
Therefore, secure attachment as baby appears to convey advantages for future development while disorganised attachment appears to seriously disadvantage children
Evaluation: Research support (Counterpoint)
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
However, not all evidence supports existence of close links between early attachments & later developments
E.g. Becker-Stoll et al followed 43 individuals from 1yoa
At age 16 attachment was assessed using adult attachment interview & there was no evidence of continuity
Therefore, it is not clear to what extent quality of early attachment really predicts later development - There may be other important factors
Evaluation: Validity issues w/ retrospective studies
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Limit: most early attachments are assessed retrospectively
Most research on link between early attachment & later development are not longitundial
Instead researchers ask adolescent or adult ppts questions about their relationships w/ parents & identify attachment types from this
This causes 2 validity probs - asking questions relies on honesty & accurate perception of ppts & it is very hard to know whether what is being assessed is early attachment or in fact adult attachment
Therefore, the measures of early attachment used in most studies may be confounded w/ other factors making them meaningless
Evaluation: Confounding variables
Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Limit: existence of confounding variables
Some studies assess attachment in infancy which means assessment of early attachment is valid
However, even these studies may have validity probs because associations between attachment quality & later development may be affected by confounding variables
E.g. parenting style may influence attachemnt quality & later development
Alternatively genetically-influenced personality may be influence on both factors
Therefore, we can never entirely sure that it’s early attachment & not some other factors that is influencing later development
