later relationships

• • continuity hypothesis
  • internal working model
• research supports continuity hypothesis

  continuity hypothesis = early attachment affects later attachment, mental well being and quality of later parenting

  
  

  insecure avoidant - suggests mild disadvantages

  disorganised attachment (extreme attachment type, fluctuate between resistant and avoidant) - strongly associated with later mental disorders
• becker stoll et al (2008)

  • undermines iwm
  • regenburg longitudinal study, which followed 43 individuals from age 1
  • at age 16, found no evidence of continuity using an adult attachment interview technique
• research relies on retrospective data

  asking people to recall memories of infant experiences, means they may not always be accurate or may be confabulated and distorted by later experiences (retroactive interference)
• nature of data

  • self report - may not always be truthful, so cause social desirability bias
  • volunteer sample - could be biased the type of people that volunteer to take part in experiments, all share same qualities
• case studies

  bowlby argued that poor early attachments means damage is inevitable

  • is it determined? or do we have free will?
  • supports - genie, even when removed from poor environment, still damaged
  • against - czech twins when discovered at age 7, were damaged. however, after being placed into a loving environment, the effects (pies) were reversed. later in life they even formed healthy relationships with partners

  highlights complexity of studying attachment