The Influence Of Early Attachment On Adult Relationships Flashcards
What did Bowlby argue (his monotropic theory)
That infants will have one special emotional bond (monotropy) usually with the biological mother
What was the importance of monotropy
That the infant uses this relationship to form a mental view of relationships called an internal working model
What did the continuity hypothesis propose?
that individuals who are securely attached in infancy continue to be socially and emotionally competent. This is because a secure childhood leads to a positive internal working model.
Secure relationships in childhood ensure a positive working model meaninh current, future and romantic relationships will be…
Positive & secure
Evaluation of Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory
- Schaffer & Emerson
- socially insensitive
- Tizard & Hodges
What did Hazan & Shaver (1987) design a test to study the connection between
a person’s infant attachment style, their internal working model, and their adult attachment style
Hazan & Shaver (1987) Procedure
- they placed a ‘Love Quiz’ in the Rocky Mountain News (an American small-town newspaper).
- the quiz asked questions about
1. relations with parents (to identify infant attachment style)
2. current relationship experiences (to determine adult attachment style)
3. attitudes toward love (to assess their internal working model)
How many responses did Hazan & Shaver get?
620:
- 205 from men
- 415 from women
(From a fair cross-section of the population)
Hazan & Shaver (1987) infant vs adult attachment style findings
When analysing adult attachment style they found that the prevalence of adult attachment styles was similar to infant attachment styles. 56% were classified secure, 25% insecure-avoidant and 19% insecure-resistant. This suggests that most people’s infant attachment styles are the same as their adult attachment style.
Hazan & Shaver (1987) findings; relationship between adult attachment style & internal working model
adults with a positive internal working model tended to be securely attached adults.
Hazan & Shaver (1987) findings - correlation between adult attachment style & love experiences
positive correlation between adult attachment style and love experiences -> Securely attached adults = happy, friendly + trusting love experiences; emphasised being able to accept and support their partner despite faults.
How long did ‘secure’ attachment relationships last
10 years
How long did ‘avoidant’ attached relationships last
6 years
How long did ‘resistant’ attached relationships last
5 years
Hazan + Shaver (-) how unreliable it is
E.g Fraley (2002)
- several other studies have failed to find the strong correlation between infant attachment style and adult attachment style.
Fraley (2002) conducted a review of 27 samples where infants were assessed in infancy and later reassessed (ranging from one month to 20 years later). He found correlations ranging from .5 to as low as .1
(-) Hazan and Shaver; we can’t determine cause and effect
This is as the study is correlational, rather than experimental
-> impossible to say infant attachment styles determine adult ones
-> could be a third variable that affects both e.g. a person’s innate temperament
(-) Hazan and Shaver overt reliance on pp’s memories
- This study relies on participants’ memories about their early lives in order to assess their infant attachment style.
-> Such recollections are likely to be flawed because our memories of the past are not always accurate, making the study not valid.
(+) some other research evidence to support Hazan & Shaver e.g. Mcarthy (1999) - study on 40 adult women
Mcarthy’s (1999) study supports the evidence for the influence of early attachments on future relationships. He conducted a study with 40 women of adult age who shared information about their childhood, which helped determine their early attachment styles in the study.
Women with secure attachments in childhood rated their romantic relationships more positively than women with insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachment styles.
