influence of early attachment

• what is an internal working model

  A mental model of the world which allows individuals to control and predict their environemnt, in the case of atathcment it relates to the persons expectations about relationships
• behaviours influenced by the internal working model

  • poor parenting, lack a reference point to form subsequent relationships with own children (demonstrated in harlow)
  • childhood friendships -securely attaached children had highest social competence, due to iwm they have higher expectations people are friendly. (minnesota parent child)
  • romantic relationships (hazan and shaver)
  • mental health- lack of attachment figure and iwm can develop attachment disorder
• hazan and shaver procedure

  They placed a love quiz in a small new publication in america.It asked questions about their early and current attachments, and their perceptions about love (assesing the internal working model)- They analysed 620 reponses 
• • Hazan and Shaver findings
  • They found their current attachment styles were very similar to  attachment styles in infancy.
  • positive correlation between attachemnt type and love experiences.
  • Securely attached adults descirbed their relationships as happy friendly and trusting, these were more enduring
  • last 10 years on average compared with 5 or 6 years for resistant and avoidant participants.
  • There is a relationship between attachment models and people perceptions about love and secure =positive iwm
• Minnesota parent child study

  followed children from infancy all the way to late adolescence and found continuity between early attachment and later social/emotional behaviour 

  • Securely attached infants were the most social competent,popular and empathetic in childhood
  • They have higher expectations that others are friendly and trusting due to a positive internal working model which makes it easier to form friendships