Influence Of Early Attatchment On Childhood And Adult Relationships Flashcards
Internal working model
Bowlby argues that children form a ‘mental representation’ of their early attachment which acts as a model for what relationships are like and future relationships will mirror them.
Influence on secure/ insecure attachments on childhood relationships
Secure attachment - better quality relationships with their peers.
Insecure attachment - difficulties in making friends
Smith et al
Found that this early attachment could predict bullying behaviour.
Insecure avoidant - most likely to be victims of bullying
Insecure resistant - likely to be the bully
Influence of internal working model on adult romantic relationships
Hazen and shaver (love quiz) - 56% participants were securely attached as children and had positive and long lasting relationships with partners they could trust.
- 25% insecure avoidant- more jealousy and feared intimacy
- 19% insecure resistant- fear being abandoned and can put too much pressure on their partner.
IWM on relationships with own children
People base their parenting style on their internal working model so attachment is passed down through families.
-bailey et al found that mothers tended to have the same attatchment style with their child as they did with their own mother.
RTS influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
Harlow - supports that having negative early attachment can lead to negative relationships later with partners snd own children.
Criticism of influence of early attachment on future relationships
Deterministic - states our behaviour is controlled and determined by early relationships which neglects the role of free will.
Criticism of influence of early attachment on later relationships
It is socially sensitive- later childhood and adult relationship success and quality of their parenting are solely due to a persons early childhood attachment.
