influence of early attachments on later relationships Flashcards
childhood relationships
- affiliations wi†h other people in childhood (friends , teachers)
adult relationships
relationship in later life
friendships, romantic relationships , relationship with children
internal working models
- mental representation of our relationship with our primary caregiver
- affects later relationships & informs us what relationships should be like
relationships in later childhood|: Kerns (1994):
said that insecurely attached infants will have friendship difficulties in childhood
relationships in later childhood|: Myron & Wilson (1998)
- bullying can be predicted by attachment types
assessed attachment type & bullying involvement using questionnaires - 196 children aged 7-11 from London
- secure children were very unlikely to be involved in bullying
- insecure- avoidant were most likely to be victims
- insecure-resistant were most likely to be bullies
AO3: Myron-Wilson & Smith (1998)
good sample size
relationships in adulthood with romantic partners: McCarthy (1999)
- studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were infants to establish early attachment type
- those assessed as securely attached had the best adult friendships & romantic relationships
- insecure-resistant infants had problems maintaining friendships
- insecure-avoidant had problem with intimacy in adult relationships
relationships in adulthood with romantic partners: Hazan & Shaver (1987) -
procedure
- used a love quiz in American newspapers with 3 section
- section 1: assessed current relationships
- section 2: general love experiences
- section 3: attachment type - statements that best describe feelings
- had 620 replies
relationships in adulthood with romantic partners: Hazan & Shaver (1987) -
findings
- 56% securely attached: good & lasting romantic experiences
- 25% insecure-avoidant: fear of intimacy
- 19% insecure resistant: emotional extremes of jealousy & passion
AO3: Hazan & Shaver (1987)
- good sample size
no ethical issues - social desirability bias
- socially sensitive area
relationships in adulthood as a parent : Bailey et al (2007)
- looked at attachments of 99 mother to their babies & their parents
- mother & baby: assessed using the strange situation
mother & mother: used adult attachment interview - majority had the same attachment with babies as they did with their parents
AO3: research support
- reviews of evidence have concluded that early attachments consistently predicts later attachments, emotional wellbeing & attachment to children
- secure: best for a healthy future
- avoidant: have mild disadvantages for child
- disorganised: strongly associated with mental health disorders
AO3: validity issues with retrospective studies
- most researchers are asking adults to look back
which affects validity - as it relies on honesty, accuracy & good memory
- may mistake child attachment for adult attachment
AO3: confounding variables
- some studies do assess attachment in infancy (Mccarthy)
- means assessment of early attachment is valid
studies may suffer from confounding variables (parenting style, genetic factors) - can never be sure if early attachment influences later development or some other confounding variables affects it
AO3: balancing opportunity & risk
- likely that early attachments influence later relationships but significance has been exaggerated
- Clarke & Clarke (1998): describe the influence of early attachments as probabilistic
- people aren’t doomed to have bad relationships if they have poor infant attachments
but there’s a greater risk of problems - knowing attachment status means that interventions can be made to prevent later developmental issues
