Influence of Early Attachment

• Who suggested the internal working model?

  Bowlby
• internal working model

  Relationship with a primary attachment figure acts as a template for future relationships
• 3 features of the internal working model

  1. model of others as being trustworthy
  2. model of the self as valuable
  3. model of the self as effective when interacting with others
• continuity hypothesis

  there is a consistency between early emotional experiences and later relationships - attachment types are reflected in these later relationships
• internal working model - secure attachment

  the individual will seek functional relationships and behave functionally within them without being too attached
• internal working model - insecure attachment

  they will bring bad experiences of early attachments to their future relationships, so may struggle to form relationships or don’t behave appropriately within them
• Wilson & Smith (1998)

  • 196 children aged 7-11 completed questionnaires
  • securely attached children were unlikely to be involved in bullying
  • insecure resistant children were more likely to be victims of bullying
  • insecure avoidant children were more likely to be bullies

  conclusion: bullying behaviour can be predicted by attachment type
• Hazan & Shaver (1987)

  620 ppts completed a love quiz, which had 3 sections:

  1. crucial current or most important relationship
  2. general experiences in relationships
  3. attachment type (choosing statements that best describe their feelings)
• Hazan & Shaver - findings

  ppts with secure attachments were more likely to have good, long lasting relationships

  avoidant respondents showed jealousy and fear of intimacy

  conclusion: patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships
• Bailey et al

  studied 99 mothers with a 1 year old baby using the strange situation

  most women had the same attachment classification to their babies and their own mothers
• strengths of influence of early attachments

  • practical applications - schools can help children alter their internal working model to address bullying and loneliness
  • Economy - improving stability of relationships can improve costs for the economy related to divorce & mental health issues
• weaknesses of influence of early attachments

  • correlational research - cannot say that poor attachment in early childhood causes poor adult relationships
  • relies on self reports - demand characteristics and socially desirable answers e.g. respondents may present their relationships as more stable than they really are