The Influence of Early Attachments

Question 1

According to Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis…

Answer 1

the IWM determines our ability to form healthy relationships in our later life - romantic, friendships, and parenting

Question 2

IWM formed on secure attachments

Answer 2

will look for healthy relationships in later life and be able to function adequately within them e.g. independent, secure when apart and in showing affection, not overly clingy or needy

Question 3

IWM formed on insecure attachments

Answer 3

will have unhealthy/toxic with unhealthy patterns of interactions/communications e.g. resistant have walls up, resist affection through fear of rejection

Question 4

who conducted the love quiz?

Answer 4

Hazan and Shaver (1987)

Question 5

what was the love quiz aim?

Answer 5

love quiz was developed to test the internal working model

Question 6

what was the love quiz method?

Answer 6

• placed the love quiz in an American newspaper, 620 responses (205 men, 415 women)

Question 7

what kind of questions did the love quiz include?

Answer 7

1) current attachment experiences
2) attachment history
3) attitudes towards love (to assess IWM)

Question 8

what are the love quiz results?

Answer 8

• found the prevalence of attachment types similar to those found in infancy
• 56% secure, 25% avoidant, 19% resistant
• found positive correlations between relationships endurance and securely attached adults

Question 9

love quiz conclusions

Answer 9

• supports Bowlbys monotropic theory
• primary attachment becomes Iwm and can be used to predict adult behaviour attachments

Question 10

childhood friendships

Answer 10

1. Kerns ‘94; secure infants form the best quality child friendships , insecure end up with difficult friendships
2. Myron-Wilson and Smith: secure less likely to be involved in bullying 7-11, IA- victims of bullying, IR- bullies

Question 11

adult friendships/relationships

Answer 11

1. McCarthy ‘99: 40 women who had been assessed for attachment type, secure had best relationships, IR had problems maintaining friends, IA had issues with intimacy
2. Hazan and Shaver- love quiz

Question 12

Parenting

Answer 12

1. Bailey ‘07 assessed 99 mothers on their own attachment styles during childhood then observed w/ their own kids, those w/ insecure likely to have insecure w/ their own kids

Question 13

strength of early attachment research

Answer 13

lots of research support
- e.g. kerns directly supports Bowlbys theory

Question 14

limitations of early attachment research

Answer 14

research is correlational
- therefore cause and effect cannot be established
reliance on retrospective classification
- relies on adults answering questions about their early life and memories may be inaccurate
overly deterministic
- doesn’t take into account free will the ability to make choices to change future outcomes