L12 - infleunce of early attachment on adult relationships

Question 1

what is bowlbys monotropic theory

Answer 1

• one special emotional bond - monotropy
• infant uses this to form internal working model
• secure monotropic bond = positive internal working model
• insecure monotropic bond = fear of intimacy and lack of commitment

Question 2

2 strengths of bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 2

• evidence to support idea of sensitive period: hodges and tizard found that children who had no attachments (raised in institutions) had problems with relationships later in life, children who missed sensitive period unable to form attachments later
• research supports importance of social releasers: brazelton, when mothers ignored baby then baby was distressed so important for adults to respond sensitively to their child’s releases

Question 3

2 weaknesses of bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 3

• schaffer and emerson suggest that multiple attachments are more common in babies that monotropy, by 18 months only 13% of infants had only one person they were attached to
• feminists such as erica birman pointed out that monotropy is socially sensitive: places all responsibility on mothers so they take blame if anything goes wrong, underestimated role of father, pressure on mothers to stay at home

Question 4

what was hazan and shavers procedure

Answer 4

• placed a love quiz in american small town newspaper
• asked questions about relationship with parents (identify infant attachment style)
• attitudes towards love (internal working model)
• analysed 620 responses - 205 male and 415 women

Question 5

what were the findings of hazan and shavers study

Answer 5

• prevalence of adult attachment styles were similar to infant attachment styles
• 56% type b, 25% type a,19% type c
• suggest that most peoples infant attachments styles are the same in adults
• securely attached said love experiences were happy, friendly and trusting with longest r/s

Question 6

strength of hazan and shavers study

Answer 6

wide range of results
supports theory that relationships in childhood influence relationships in childhood (continuity hypothesis)

Question 7

3 weaknesses of hazan and shavers study

Answer 7

• unreliable: many studies failed to find strong correlation e.g. fraley reviewed 27 sampled of infants at 1 month and 20 years, found correlations from 0.5 to 0.1
• correlational rather than experimental - cannot determine cause and effect, impossible to say that infant attachment styles determined adult attachment styles, other variables could affect both
• relies on participants memory - likely to be inaccurate and may be trying to show social desirability - not valid study