Influence of early attachment on later relationships

• What research is there to support the link between attachment and later development?

  • Fearon and Roisman: reviewed evidence and concluded that early attachment constantly predicts emotional wellbeing and parental relationships
  • Conveys that secure attachment -> advantages for future development and disinhibited attachment -> seriously disadvantages children
• Why do retrospective studies weaken the validity of the influence of attachment?

  • Most research isn't longitudinal - researchers identify adolescent/adult participants' attachment types from asking them questions about their relationships with their parents
  • Relies on honesty and accurate perception of ppts
  • Hard to know whether it is adult or early attachment that is being assessed
  • Means measures of early attachment may be confounded with other factors - making them meaningless
• How is the influence of early attachment on future relationships guilty of determinism?

  • Theory suggests that insecurely-attached children are doomed to struggle with later relationships, implying a lack of free will and self-fulfilling prophecies may occur
  • Other research suggests that insecurely-attached children can go on to experience happy and fulfilling relationships - and that attachment types are not the only factor that affect relationships (biological, innate personality factors)
  • Suggests attachment isn't as strongly linked to relationship development as thought