Cultural Variations in Attachment

• What is the name of the researchers?

  Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)
• Aim:

  To investigate the proportions of secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachments across a range of countries. They also looked at the differences within the same countries to get an idea of variations within a culture
• Method:


  Meta-analysis which included results being combined and weighted for sample size
• Procedure:

  The researchers located 32 studies of attachment where the Strange Situation had been used to investigate the proportions of infants with different attachment types. These 32 studies were conducted in 8 countries; 15 were in the USA. Overall the 32 studies yielded results for 1990 children. The data for these 32 studies were meta-analysed, results being combined and weighted for sample size
• Findings:

  • There was wide variation between the proportions of attachment types in different studies
  • Most common classification in all countries was secure attachment
  • Least common attachment type was insecure-resistant
  • Interesting finding - variations between results of studies within the same country were actually 150% greater than those between countries. In the USA, for example, one study found only 46% securely attached compared to one sample as high as 90%
• Conclusion:

  • Secure attachment seems to be the norm in a wide range of cultures, supporting Bowlby's idea that attachment is innate and universal, and this type is the universal norm
  • However, the research also clearly shows that cultural practices have an influence on attachment type