Influence of early attachment on later relationships

Question 1

How does the internal working model affect the nature of future relationships?

Answer 1

• if a child’s first relationship was loving with a reliable caregiver they will assume that this is how all relationships are meant to be
• a child with bad experiences of their first attachment will bring these bad experiences on later relationships
• this means they will struggle to form relationships & may not behave appropriately

Question 2

How is attachment type associated with the quality of relationships in childhood?

Answer 2

• securely attached infants tend to form the best quality childhood friendships whilst insecurely attached infants have friendship difficulties later

Question 3

How can bullying behaviour be predicted by attachment type?

Answer 3

• Myron-Wilson & Smith assessed attachment type & involvement in bullying using questionnaires in 196 children between 7-11 from London
• they found that secure children were unlikely to be involved in bullying
• insecure-avoidant children were most likely victims & insecure-resistant were most likely the bullies

Question 4

What was the aim & procedure of Hazan & Shaver’s study?

Answer 4

• they aimed to study an association between attachment & adult relationships
• they analysed 620 replies to a ‘love quiz’ that was on a local American newspaper
• 1st section assessed general love experiences like numbers of partners
• 3rd section assessed attachment type by asking respondents to choose which of 3 statements best described their feelings

Question 5

What was the aim & procedure of Hazan & Shaver’s study?

Answer 5

• 56% of respondents were identified as securely attached, 25% insecure-avoidant and 19% insecure-resistant
• those reporting secure attachments were most likely to have good & longer lasting romantic experiences
• the avoidant respondents tended to show jealousy & fear of intimacy
• these findings suggest that patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships

Question 6

How do internal working models affect the child’s ability to parent their own children?

Answer 6

• people usually base their parenting styles off their own IWM so attachment types tend to be passed on through generations of a family
• study by Bailey et al. found that majority of the 99 women had the same attachment classification to their babies and also their own mothers

Question 7

Evaluation: Evidence on continuity of attachment type is mixed

Answer 7

• IWM predict continuity between security of an infant’s attachment & later relationships
• evidence for continuity is mixed
• e.g. some studies don’t support IWM
• Zimmerman assessed infant attachment type & adolescent attachment to parents
• there was very little relationship between quality of infant & adolescent attachment
• this is a limitation as it’s not what we would expect if IWMs were important in development

Question 8

Evaluation: Most studies have issues of validity

Answer 8

• most studies of attachment to primary caregiver don’t use the Strange Situation but asses infant-parent attachment using interviews or questionnaires years after infancy
• this creates validity problems since assessment on quality of relationship relies on self-report techniques
• validity of questionnaires & interviews is limited as they depend on respondents being honest & having a realistic view on their own relationships
• looking back in adulthood at one’s early relationship to primary attachment figure lacks validity as it relies on accurate recall

Question 9

Evaluation: Association doesn’t mean causality

Answer 9

• in studies where infant attachment is associated with quality of later relationships implies that infant attachment type causes the attachment
• however there are other explanations for continuity that exist between infant & later relationships
• an environmental factor like parenting style might have a direct effect on attachment & the child’s ability to form relationships
• the child’s temperament may also influence infant attachment & quality of later relationships
• this is a limitation as it opposes Bowlby’s view that the IWM causes later outcomes

Question 10

Evaluation: The influence of early attachment is probabilistic

Answer 10

• it seems likely that the quality of infant attachments influences later relationships
• however some researchers like Bowlby may have exaggerated the significance of this influence
• Clarke & Clarke describe the influence on infant attachment on later relationships as probabilistic
• this means people aren’t destined to have bad relationships just because they have had attachment problems - they just have a greater risk of problems
• there is a further issue that by emphasising this risk we become too pessimistic about people’s futures