The influence of early attachment on later childhood and romantic relationships

Question 1

What does Bowlby’s Internal working model suggest?

Answer 1

That early attachment provides a blueprint / prototype for later attachment

Question 2

How do childhood attachment types carry into adult relationships?

Answer 2

Type A Insecure Avoidant - Avoid close relationships
Type B Secure attachment - Successful relationships
Type C Insecure Resistant - Engage in controlling relationships

Question 3

What is the continuity hypothesis?

Answer 3

The attachment behaviours from our Internal working model follow the same template in the future

Question 4

Who researched into the influence on later relationships?

Answer 4

Hazan and Shaver (1987)

Question 5

What was Hazan and Shaver’s Aim?

Answer 5

To investigate the impacts of childhood attachments on later romantic relationships

Question 6

What was Hazan and Shaver’s procedure?

Answer 6

They created a love quiz in an American newspaper and after a week they had 620 participants (205 men, 415 women). They measured aspects such as jealousy and friendship, and P’s had to answer across a 4 point scale

Second part asked about love life and third part about attachment types

Question 7

What were the 3 sections of Hazan and Shaver’s quiz?

Answer 7

1. Current or most important relationship
2. General love experience
3. Attachment types

Question 8

What were the results of Hazan and Shaver’s study?

Answer 8

Secure Attachments (56% of people) Secure, stable and loving relationship with their partner that was long lasting (5% divorce rate)

Insecure avoidant (25% of people) Fear of intimacy, emotional highs and lows including jealousy (12% divorce rate)

Insecure resistant (19% of people) Obsessive, Jealous, and emotional highs and lows (10% Divorce rate)

Question 9

What did Hazan and Shaver conclude?

Answer 9

Supports the idea of the continuity hypothesis that the infant attachment type influences later relationships as secure attachments have lower chance of divorce and higher chance of stable and successful relationships

Question 10

Explain the influence on later childhood

Answer 10

Attachment types is associated with peer relations in childhood. Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) investigated the relationship between attachment types and bullying behaviours.
Securely attached were highly unlikely to engage in any bullying
Insecure avoidant were most likely to be victims of bullying
Insecure resistant were most likely to be bullies

Question 11

Explain the influence on later parenting

Answer 11

General passing on e.g secure attachment breeds secure attachment

Question 12

Who investigated the influence on later parenting?

Answer 12

Bailey et al (2007) assessed 99 mothers with one year old babies on their attachment quality to their own mothers.

Found a clear correlation between P’s own attachment, and the attachment they found with their own child

Question 13

Influence of Child abuse on Later development

Answer 13

All forms of abuse have negative impacts on later relationships including inability to control or express emotions and difficulty attaching to others

Question 14

Who investigated influence of child abuse on later development?

Answer 14

Kolk and Fisler (1994) found those who suffered abuse struggled regulating emotions and and maintaining relationships

Question 15

Strengths of influence on early attachments on later relationships

Answer 15

Large sample size in research studies validates the validity of findings

GRAVE??
SCOUT???
of any study

Question 16

Limitations of influence on early attachments on later relationships

Answer 16

Research is correlational and we cannot be sure of cause and effect - many variables involved

Gender may have greater influence as males and females have different goals in adulthood

Ethical issues around the questions being asked - they may cause harm