attachment

• how is the internal working model important when forming later relationships?

  -Bowlby suggested that a child having their first relationship with their PAF forms a mental representation of this relationship.

  -the internal working model acts as a template for future relationships

  -for example if a child has a secure attachment they will assume all relationships should be like that - loving and caring
• Relationships in later childhood

  -Attachment type is associated with the quality of peer relationships in childhood

  -Bullying can be predicted by attachment type e.g. attachment type and bullying involvement was assessed using QA's. Secure children were unlikely to be involved in bullying. Insecure-avoidant children were most likely to be bullied and insecure-resistant children were most likely to be bullies
• Hazan and Shaver - procedure

  -designed a study to test the internal working model

  -620 replies were analysed

  -placed a love quiz in a newspaper, assessed 3 aspects; current and most important relationship, attachment type and general love experiences

  -self report
• Hazan and Shaver - findings

  - 56% of respondents = securely attached

  - 25% = insecure avoidant

  - 19% = insecure resistant

  -a positive correlation between early attachment type and experiences in love. those who were secure reported a longer lasting relationship. whereas insecure respondents had short relationships
• how does the internal working model affect parenting?


  -Internal working model also affects the child's ability to parent their own children. Attachment type tends to be passed on.

  -A study showed that women had the same attachment classification to their babies and their own mothers
• What are the strengths of research into influence of early attachment on later relationships?

  -Practical application : Schools can use knowledge to help children alter their IWM to address childhood bullying. Altering IWM's would also help children achieve relationship stability in adult relationships, reducing costs to the economy in terms of divorce and mental health issues

  -Research support : e.g. McCarthy studied 40 adult women assessed in infancy to establish attachment type. It was found those women as securely attached had the best adult friendships and romantic relationships. Those as insecure-resistant found it hard to maintain friendships and those as insecure-avoidant struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships
• Limitations of research into influence of early attachment on later relationships

  -Flawed research : The research is correlational so it's impossible to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between childhood attachment and adult relationships, there may be another variable e.g. poverty. counters IWM

  -Continuity hypothesis is deterministic : suggests individuals are doomed to repeat the types of relationships in adulthood as experienced as infants. People like to think they have complete conscious control over their relationships, not that it's set in infancy. Doesnt take into account free will