The influence of early attachment on later relationships

• A01:

  According to Bowlby's theory when we form our primary attachment we also make a mental representation of what a relationship is (internal working model) which we then use for all other relationships in the future i.e. friendships, working and romantic relationships

  
  

  This is implies then that we should find a positive correlation between the quality or primary attachment and later attachments
• The continuity hypothesis:


  It sees children's attachment types beign reflected in their later relationships. This idea is based upon the internal working model where an infant's primary attachment forms a model for future relationships

  
  

  The quality of child's first attachments is crucial between this template will powerfully affect the nature of their future relationsips
• According to attachment theory:


  The child who has a secure attachment style should be more confident in interactions with friends

  
  

  Minnesota study (2005) found Ps from infancy to late adolescence and found continuity between early attachment and later emotional/social behaviour

  
  

  Securely attached children were rated most highly for social competence later in childhood , were less isolated and more popular than insecurely attached children
• Hartup


  Hartup et al. (1993) argues that children with a secure attachment type are more popular at nursery and engage in more social interactions with other children. In contrast insecurely attached children tend to be more reliant for interaction and social support
• Hazel and Shaver Love Quiz


  Procedure :

  
  

  They analysed 620 replies to a 'love quiz' printed in an American local newspaper.

  
  

  The quiz had three sections.

  The first assessed respondents' current or most important relationship.

  The second part assessed general love experiences such as number of partners.

  The third section assessed attachment type by asking respondents to choose which of three statements best described their feelings.
• Findings:


  Findings :

  56% of respondents were identified as securely attached with 25% insecure-avoidant and 19% insecure-resistant.

  Those reporting secure attachments were the most likely to have good and longer lasting romantic experiences.

  The avoidant respondents tended to reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy.

  These findings suggest that patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships.
• Conclusions:

  Hazen and shaver concluded that there was evidence to support the concept of the internal working model having a life-long effect. However, they did concede that not everyone stayed true to their infant attachment style and some people did change as they grew up
• Myron-Wilson and SMith


  Securely attached: unlikely to be involved in bullying. Insecure avoidant: victims.

  Insecure resistant: bullies.

  More likely to be
• Kerns (1994)


  Said securely attached children have the best quality childhood friendships whereas insecurely attached children later have friendship difficulties. More likely to have
• A03:

  Correlation is not causation (all studies). Other factors/confounding variables= parenting style, innate (genetic) personality - issue of 'third variable'

  
  

  Socially sensitive - the influence of early attachment is probabilistic (all studies)

  Although there is a statistical difference, the difference is small

  Almost over exaggerating the importance of early attachment relationships

  
  

  validity issues with retrospective assessment of early attachment -Hazel and Shaver and Myron-Wilson Smith tested attachment using a questionnaire (self-report)

  
  

  Therefore Mccarthy's is arguably higher in validity
• A03:

  P- One weakness is that they used self report measures (interview/survey) to assess attachment styles and relationships with parents

  E- the validity of questionnaires and interviews is limited as the depend on the respondents being honest and having a realistic view of their own relationships

  E- Furthermore, the retrospective nature of assessment of infant attachment (looking back in adulthood at one's early relationship to a primary attachment) , lacks validity as it relies heavily on accurate recollections and honesty
• A03:

  P- One weakness is that it was a correlational study

  E- The results concluded that there was a correlation however it may be difficult to establish a causation (cause and effect relationship) between early childhood attachment and later adult relationships as there may have been a third variable such as poverty

  C- Alternatively, the child's temperament may influence both infant attachment and the quality of later relationships
• A03: Evidence on continuity is probabilistic


  P- One weakness is that the influence of early attachment is probabilistic

  E- this is because the quality of infant attachments is an influence on later relationships. However, it can be argued that the significance for this research has been exaggerated by researchers such as Bowlby

  E- Clarke and Clarke (1998) suggest that people are not doomed to always have bad relationships just because they had attachment problems in childhood. They simply have a greater risk of problems. there is a further issue that by emphasising this risk we become too pessimistic about other's futures
• A03: SUP EV

  P-There is supporting evidence

  E- McCarthy studied 40 adult women and assessed for attachment style using the Strange Situation as infants

  E- It was found that adults with long- lasting and secure adult friendships and romantic relationships were securely attached in infancy; those assessed as avoidant infants had poor romantic relationships, while resistant had poor friendships

  E- Both insecure groups were more likely to to have lived its a deviant partner

  L- these results suggest that early attachment style is linked to the quality of adult romantic relationships