Effects on later relationships

• What relationships are impacted by early attachment?

  • Childhood relationships
  • Romantic/adult relationships
  • Parenting relationships

  Bowlby’s monotropic theory is based on the principle of evolution that believes attachment is a behaviour that evolves because it helps us survive.

  Part of this theory is the internal working model – a mental representation of what a relationship is, based off of the quality of their monotropic attachment.
• For childhood relationships, what was the procedure and findings and did it support Bowlby's internal working model?


  Therefore, there is evidence to support Bowlby's internal working model

  
• For romantic/adult relationships, what was the procedure and findings and did it support Bowlby's internal working model?

  Therefore, there is evidence to support Bowlby's internal working model

  
• For parenting relationships, what was the procedure and findings and did it support Bowlby's internal working model?


  Therefore, there is evidence to support Bowlby's internal working model

  
• What is a strength of early attachment on later relationships?

  Research support

  • Harlow’s animal study on monkeys found that the monkeys who were maternally deprived for 90+ days had poor parenting skills and struggled to form relationships with their children
• What is the counter argument for 'research support' of early attachment on later relationships?

  Humans are much more complex than monkeys so therefore it isn't fully generalisable
• What is a limitation of early attachment on later relationships?

  Research method issues

  • Participants used self-report techniques which may mean there was a social desirability bias = low validity
  • Participants were recalling memories from their childhood which may be altered/incorrect = low validity
• What is a limitation of early attachment on later relationships?


  Deterministic

  • Bowlby’s internal working model and the research support suggests that your attachment type will result in a specific effect (sometimes irreversible e.g., critical period) which is unrealistic = ignores free will and other factors