the influence of early attachments

• Internal working model 

  • According to Bowlby, the attachment a child has with its primary caregiver provides the infant with a schema and template for future relationships
  • This will determine if the child loves, trusts and relies on others and the health of future relationships
  • The continuity hypothesis: future relationships will follow the pattern based on childhood attachment, impacting childhood relationships, adult relationships and relationships with one's own children
• Hazan and Shaver (1987)

  • Conducted a 'love quiz' study, they asked people to respond to a love quiz in the newspaper, the quiz examined feelings in a romantic relationship
  • Participants also completed questions on their childhood relationships with their parents and their attachment types from their responses into three categories:
  • 56% Secure: Balanced (equally and when relevant) between closeness and independence  
  • 25% Avoidant: Avoiding closeness 
  • 19% resistant
• they analysed 620 responses from men and women from cross-section of the population. Found that the prevalence of attachment styles was similar to infancy.
• • research only correlation not cause, may be 3rd variable, innate temperment that affects the way parent responds
• • demand characteristics
• • study relies on retrospective classification, may be flawed because memories not always accurate.
• • overly deterministic, suggests fixed but simpson et al found many individuals experience happy adult relationships despite having been insecurely attached as infants.