Influence Of Early Attachments On Later Relationships

Question 1

What are internal working models?

Answer 1

• Mental representations we carry with our of our attachment to our primary caregiver.

Question 2

The role of the internal working model in attachment

Answer 2

• When an infant learns what relationships are and how partners in a relationship behave towards each other.
• Mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment.
• Model relates to a person’s expectations about relationships.
• Quality of a child’s first attachment is crucial as this template will affect future relationships.
• Child with bad experiences in first attachment will bring these experiences to later relationships. Struggle with relationships or may not behave appropriately when they have them.

Question 3

Relationships in later childhood

Answer 3

• Attachment type is associated with quality of peer relationships in childhood.
• Securely attached = have good quality friendships.
• Insecurely attached = friendship difficulties.
• Can predict bullying behaviour.
• Secure children = unlikely to be involved in bullying.
• Insecure avoidant = victims of bullying
• Insecure resistant = most likely to be bullies.

Question 4

Relationships in adulthood as a parent

Answer 4

• Effects ability to parent their own children.
• Base their parenting style on own internal working model.
• Attachment types passed through generations of a family.
• Harlow found a link between poor attachment and later difficulties with parenting in monkeys
• Quinton et al found same in humans.
• Lack of internal working model means people don’t know how form relationships.

Question 5

Hazen and Shaver Love Quiz Aim

Answer 5

• To test the internal working model.
• To find out if attachment rules in infancy affected adult relationships.

Question 6

Hazen and Shaver Love Quiz Procedure

Answer 6

• Placed love quiz in American local newspaper.
• Questions - adult attachment experiences, attachment history.
• Looked at attitudes to love, an assessment of the internal working model.
• Analysed 620.

Question 7

Hazen and Shaver love Quiz findings

Answer 7

• Adult attachment styles similar to infancy.
• 59% classed as secure,.
• 25% classed as avoidant.
• 19% resistant.
• Positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences.
• Securely attached adults described love experiences as happy trusting. Relationships were more enduring.
• Found a relationship between conception of love and attachment - secure attached tended to have positive internal working model.

Question 8

Hazen and Shaver Love Quiz Conclusion

Answer 8

• Study demonstrated a link between early attachment type and later relationships.
• Those who where securely attached had longer lasting romantic relationships.

Question 9

Evaluation of early attachment on adult relationships - research support

Answer 9

• McCarthy studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were infants to establish their early attachment type.
• Securely attached infants had the best adult friendships and romantic relationships. Adults classed as insecure - resistant had problems with maintaining relationships. Adults classed as insecure avoidant struggle with intimacy in romantic relationships.
• Strength - supports predictions made in the theory and increased validity.

Question 10

Evaluation of early attachment on adult relationships - research is correlational

Answer 10

• Correlations can not establish a cause and effect.
• Can’t say that relationship between early attachment type and later love styles is cause and effect. Could be that both attachment style and later love styles caused by a third factor.
• Weakness - counter to Bowlby’s view that internal working model causes these outcomes.

Question 11

Evaluation of early attachment on adult relationships - counter evidence

Answer 11

• Not all studies support internal working model.
• Zimmerman assessed infant attachment type. When same participants were 16 he interviewed them to assess their adolescent attachment to parents. Very little relationship between quality of infant and adolescent attachment.
• Weakness - it is not what we expect if internal working models were important in development.

Question 12

Evaluation of early attachment on adult relationships - validity issues within studies

Answer 12

• Studies use interviews and questionnaires.
• Issue as self report techniques like interviews and questionnaires depend on respondents being honest and having a realistic view of own relationship. Also rely on participants having good memory about childhood attachment.
• Weakness - means we cannot rely on validity of findings and casts doubt on any conclusions made by researchers.