relationships in early adulthood

• early attachments provide template for later life relationships

  • romantic relationships
  • parental relationships
  • friendships as adults
• the love quiz, hazan and shaver (1987)

  a = test if there is a correlation between infants attachment type and future approach to romantic relationships

  p = 2 questionaires

  • attachment type measure

  using ainsworth categories (secure, anxious-resistant, anxious-avoidant), childhood relationships with parents, their parents relationships with others

  • individuals beliefs of love

  trust, length etc

  took a volunteer sample, by printing in 'rocky mountain news' newspaper

  620 replies from people ages 14-82
• love quiz, hazan and shaver (1987)


  f =

  • secure = 56%

  happy, trusting, friendly relationship

  • anxious-resistant = 19%

  obsession, desire for reciprocation, emotional highs and lows, extreme sexual attraction, worry partner doesn't love them or may leave, desire for intense closeness frightens others away

  • anxious-avoidant = 25%

  fear intimacy, emotional highs and lows, uncomfortable being close to or depending on others, believe they don't need love to be happy, jealousy
• love quiz, hazan and shaver (1987)


  f = high correlation between infant attachment types and romantic love styles

  c = evidence to support the concept of the iwm have a life-long effect. concede, not everyone stayed true to infant attachment style and some did change as they grew older
• mccarthy (1999)

  p = studied 40 adult women who had been assessed as infants, to establish early attachment type

  f =

  • secure - best adult friendships and relationships
  • insecure resistant - hard to maintain friendships
  • insecure avoidant - struggle with intimacy
• bailey et al

  • 99 mothers
  • supports continuity hypothesis
  • if the pcg is poorly attached tot heir primary attachment figure, then there is a poor attachment between pcg and child
• harlow

  • young monkeys who suffered maternal deprivation, were bad mothers and often very aggressive
  • privation, caused a damaged relationship