Influence of Early Attachments on Later Relationships

• Bowlby’s Internal Working Model

  He suggested that a child forms a mental representation of their first attachment and this internal working model acts as a template for future relationships. The quality of the first attachment will affect the nature of their future relationships.
• Childhood relationships

  Attachment type is associated with quality of peer relationships in childhood. Kerns found children with secure attachments went on to develop the best quality childhood friendships whereas insecurely attached infants later have friendship difficulties. Bullying can be predicted by attachment type: Myron-Wilson and Smith assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using a standard questionnaire in 196 children aged 7-11 from London. Secure were unlikely to be involved in it, avoidant are likely to be the victim and resistant are likely to be the bullies
• Adult relationships - Hazan and Shaver (1987) ‘The Love Quiz’

  620 replies to a 3-part love quiz in a newspaper were analysed. Part one assessed respondents’ current/most important relationship, the second assessed general love experiences e.g num of partners. The third asked people to describe their feelings from a series of options.

  Findings: Secure (56%) are most likely to have good and longer lasting relationships. Avoidant (25%) tend to reveal jealousy. Resistant (19%) were the most vulnerable to loneliness.

  This suggests that early attachment experiences influence future relationships
• Relationships in adulthood as a parent

  IWM also affects the child's ability to parent their own children as people tend to base their parenting style on that of their own experiences so attachment types tend to be passed on through the family.

  Bailey considered the attachments of 99 mothers to their babies (strange situation) and to their own mothers (adult attachment interview) the majority of women had the same attachment classification to their own mothers as they did to their babies.
• Evaluation of the influence of early attachment on later relationships

  X Validity issues - most studies don't use the SS but assess infant-parent attachment using interviews years later. Validity of interviews is limited as it depends on honesty. Also the retrospective nature of it lacks validity as it relies on accurate recollections.

  X Associations aren't the same as causation - an alt. explanation for the link of infant and later relationships is the child's temperament. This is a limitation as it's a counter to the IWM
• Evaluation of the influence of early attachment on later relationships


  X Evidence on continuity of attachment is mixed - IWM predicts that attachment type in infancy is the same as that in their future relationships. However others have found there was very little relationship between quality of infant and adult attachment. This is a limitation as it's not what we would expect if IWMs were important in development.

  X Infant attachment is exaggerated - attachment problems just give the person a greater risk of problems. By emphasising this risk we become too pessimistic about our futures.