INFLUENCES OF EARLY ATTACHMENT ON LATER RELATIONSHIPS

Question 1

INTERNAL WORKING MODEL

Answer 1

• template for future relationships
• a child whose first experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to assume that this i show relationships are meant to be
• they will then seek out functional relationships and behave functionally within them, i.e without being too uninvolved or too emotionally close (Type A) or being controlling and argumentative (Type C)
• a child with bad experiences of their first attachment will bring these bad experiences into later relationships
• they may struggle to form relationships in the first place or they may not behave appropriately when they have them, displaying type A or C behaviour towards friends and partners

Question 2

RELATIONSHIPS IN LATER CHILDHOOD

Answer 2

• attachment type = associated with the quality of peer relationships in childhood
• SECURELY attached infants tend to go on to form the best quality childhood friendships whereas INSECURELY attached infants later have friendship difficulties
• bullying behaviour can be predicted by attachment type
  MYRON-WILSON & SMITH (1998) assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using standard questionnaires in 196 children aged 7-11 in London
• secure children = unlikely to be involved
• insecure-avoidant = most likely to be VICTIMS
• insecure-resistant = most likely to be BULLIES

Question 3

RELATIONSHIPS IN ADULTHOOD WITH ROMANTIC PARTNERS

Answer 3

MCCARTHY (1999) studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were infants to establish their early attachment type
- securely attached = best adult friendships and romantic relationships
- insecure-resistant = problems maintaining friendships
- insecure-avoidant = struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships

HAZAN & SHAVER (1987):
- analysed 620 replies to a ‘love quiz’ printed in an American newspaper
- first section assessed respondents’ current or most important relationship
- second section assessed general love experiences such as no. of partners
- third section assessed attachment type by asking them to choose which of 3 statements best described their feelings
FINDINGS:
- 56% = secure –> most likely to have good and long lasting romantic experiences
- 25% = insecure-avoidant –> reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy
- 19% = insecure-resistant
- suggests patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships

Question 4

RELATIONSHIPS IN ADULTHOOD AS A PARENT

Answer 4

• IWM affects child’s ability to parents their own children
• ppl tend to base parenting style on their IWM, so attachment type tends to be passed on through generations
  BAILEY (2007): majority of women had the same attachment classification both to their babies and their own mothers

Question 5

AO3: EVIDENCE ON CONTINUITY OF ATTACHMENT TYPE IS MIXED

Answer 5

• IWM predicts continuity between security of infant attachment and its later relationships
• some studies (McCarthy) do appear to support continuity and provide evidence of IWM
• not all studies support IWM: ZIMMERMAN (2000) assessed infant attachment type and adolescent attachment to parents
• very little relationship between quality of infant and adolescent attachment
• problem because it is not what we would expect if IWMs was important in development
• LOW INTERNAL VALIDITY
• LIMITED EXPLANATION

Question 6

AO3: MOST STUDIES HAVE ISSUES OF VALIDITY

Answer 6

• most studies do not make use of Strange Situation but assess infant-parent attachment by means of interview or questionnaire, not in infancy but years later –> VALIDITY PROBLEMS
• assessment relies on self-report techniques : interview or questionnaires –> limited validity as they depend on respondents being honest and having a realistic view of their own relationships
• related problem concerns the retrospective nature of infant attachment
• looking back in adulthood at one’s early relationship to a primary attachment figure lacks validity as it relies on accurate recollections

Question 7

AO3: CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION

Answer 7

• in studies where attachment type is associated with the quality of later relationships, the implication is that infant attachment type CAUSES the attachment
• however, there are alternative explanations for the continuity that exists: a THIRD environmental factor such as parenting style may have a direct effect on both attachment and the child’s ability to form relationships with others
• or the child’s temperament may influence both infant attachment and quality of later relationships
• COUNTERS BOWLBY’s view that the IWM caused these outcomes
• by stating it is caused by the IWM: DETERMINISTIC