Influence of Early Attachments

Question 1

Internal Working Model

Answer 1

This is a template for all future relationships based on first attachment with primary attachment figure. If loving with reliable figure will assume like this so seek functional relationships and function appropriately within them, if bad then struggle to form relationships and may show inappropriate behaviour.

Question 2

Relationships in Childhood

Answer 2

Securely attached form best quality childhood friendships but insecure have troubles. Wilson and Smith (1998) found secure unlikely to be involved in bullying but insecure avoidant likely to be victims of bulling and insecure resistant the bullies from a questionnaire for 196 children 7-11 years from London.

Question 3

Relationships in Adulthood

Answer 3

McCarthy (1999) assessed attachment type of 40 mothers to children and found securely attached had best adult friendships and intimate relationships. Insecure resistant struggled maintaining friendships and insecure avoidant struggled with intimacy and romantic relationships. Bailey et al (2007) found the majority of women had same attachment type to both baby and own mother from 99 mothers who they assessed attachment to baby using strange situation and own mother an interview. This suggests use internal working model as a base for parenting style so attachment types get passed down generations.

Question 4

Strength (B)

Answer 4

Research support for IWM.
Bailey et al (2007) found those who had poor attachment to their mother also had a poor attachment to their baby.
Mother’s ability to form attachments it based on her internal working model so those who had a poor one only know how to do a poor one.
However… other important influences on social development. Some believe genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect social behaviour which could impact parenting abilities.

Question 5

Strength (H)

Answer 5

Research support for IWM and critical period.
Harlow took infant monkeys from mothers and found when older were socially abnormal.
They weren’t able to form attachment which affected behaviour but also then didn’t know what an attachment was so couldn’t bond with own children.
However… humans more complex so not generalisable.

Question 6

Weakness

Answer 6

Most research is assessed retrospectively.
Most research on link is not longitudinal so asked questions about childhood and relationships to identify attachment type.
This causes validity problems as demand characteristics may mean lie so attachment type inaccurate so patterns may be too so results meaningless.
Furthermore… influence of early attachment on later development may be influenced by confounding variables e.g. parenting style and genetically influenced traits.