Influence of early attachment on later relationships

• Bowlby suggested that a child forms an internal working model based on their attachment to their primary caregiver. This model serves as a mental framework for future relationships.

  • The quality of a child's first attachment is crucial because this template will powerfully affect the nature of their future relationships.
  • A child’s first attachment is thought to shape their expectations about themselves and others in relationships.
• The internal model is said to influence how children approach relationships throughout life, affecting friendships, romantic partnerships, and even relationships with their own children.
• Hazan and Shaver's "Love Quiz" explored the link between early attachment styles and adult romantic relationships. They created a “Love Quiz,” which asked participants about their early attachments and current romantic relationship experiences.

  The "Love Quiz" had three sections:

  • assessed current or most important relationship
  • assessed general love experience e.g. number of partners
  • assessed attachment type
• Hazan and Shaver's "Love Quiz" study found that:

  • 56% of participants identified as securely attached. These individuals reported longer-lasting relationships, characterized by trust.
  • 25% of participants identified as insecure-avoidant. They often avoided intimacy and were less likely to commit fully to relationships, showing a preference for independence.
  • 19% of participants identified as insecure-resistant. These individuals tended to be overly invested in relationships, experienced jealousy and anxiety, and worried about their partner’s commitment.
• Hazan and Shaver’s “Love Quiz” findings support the idea that early attachment influences later relationship patterns, suggesting continuity between childhood attachment styles and adult romantic behavior.
• Individuals with a secure attachment type in childhood are generally able to form trusting and healthy relationships as adults. They find it easier to maintain close, stable friendships, and romantic relationships, and they are more likely to have high self-esteem and a positive outlook on relationships.
• Adults with an insecure-avoidant attachment style may find it difficult to depend on others or seek emotional intimacy. They tend to avoid close relationships and may struggle to trust or rely on partners, leading to a preference for independence and distance in relationships.
• Adults with an insecure-resistant attachment type may become overly invested in relationships and experience high levels of jealousy or anxiety about their partner’s commitment. They may be sensitive to rejection and prone to clingy behaviours, which can create difficulties in maintaining stable, balanced relationships.
• A strength is that it has supporting evidence. Bailey et al examined mothers and their infants, to assess their attachment styles. They found that most mothers in their study shared the same attachment type with their children as they had with their mothers, suggesting that attachment patterns are often passed from one generation to the next. This supports Bowlby’s concept of the internal working model, which argues that early relationships create a framework that shapes future behaviour in relationships, including how individuals parent.
• A weakness is that the continuity hypothesis is deterministic. This is because it implies that those with insecure attachments are destined to have poor future relationships. However, research by Zimmerman et al. (2000) challenges this assumption, finding that life events and experiences, such as supportive relationships in adulthood, can alter attachment styles over time. This evidence suggests that early attachment influences are not necessarily permanent, and individuals with insecure attachment can develop healthier relationship patterns.
• A weakness is that there are methodological issues. Much of the research, including Hazan and Shaver’s study, relies on self-report questionnaires and retrospective recall. Participants may have inaccurate memories of their early relationships, which can lead to biased responses and affect reliability. Additionally, self-reporting may be influenced by social desirability, where participants respond in ways they believe to be more acceptable or favourable. This reduces the validity of the conclusions drawn about the influence of early attachment on later relationships.