Romanian Orphan Studies: Influence Of Early Attachment On Later Relationships

Question 1

Relationships in childhood - Kerns

Answer 1

found that securely attached babies go on to form the best quality childhood friendships whereas insecurely attached babies later go on to have friendship difficulties.

Question 2

Relationships in childhood - Wilson and Smith

Answer 2

assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using questionnaires. They studied 196 children aged 7-11 in London. Found that securely attached children were unlikely to be involved in bullying. Insecure-avoidant were most likely to be victims of bullying and insecure-resistant were most likely to be bullies.

Question 3

Relationships in adulthood - McCarthy

Answer 3

studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were babies to establish their attachment type. Those classified as securely attached babies had the best quality adult friendships and romantic relationships. Those classified as insecure-avoidant struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships and those classified as insecure-resistant had particular problems maintaining friendships.

Question 4

Give 2 strengths of the influence early attachments has on childhood and later relationships.

Answer 4

1. Bailey et al’s study supports the idea that early attachment has an impact on later relationships - study showed that most women had the same attachment type with their child as their mother did with them when they were a baby.
   Study supports the idea of continuity, as suggested by Bowlby. The internal working models that we develop in response to our first attachment contain our perceptions of what a normal relationship looks like, and so we seek out such relationships in accordance with our internal working model.
2. Real life application
   Research typically found that secure babies go onto form adequate relationships
   Shows mothers may use this as a guide for how they should be with their child - particularly useful for new mothers

Question 5

Give one limitation of the influence early attachments has on childhood and later relationships.

Answer 5

Theories about the influence of early attachment on later relationships are reductionist and deterministic. This is due to suggesting that the influence of early attachments is deterministic. Research suggests that a poor quality early attachment inevitably means that the individual will become a bad parent and unable to form ‘normal’ romantic relationships as well as friendships. Also suggests that insecurely attached infants are doomed to grow up and will inevitably have bad adult relationships, when this is not true - there are many cases of insecurely attached children growing up to have strong happy relationships.