Attachment

• Internal working model (Bowlby)

  A mental representation of the first relationship with a primary attachment figure
• First attachment


  • It is a template for future relationships
• Good attachment


  Equals good relationship expectations
• Good attachment


  1. A child whose first experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable attachment figure

  2. Assumes this is how all relationships must be

  3. Seeks out functional relationships

  4. Behaves functionally within them
• Bad attachment


  Equals bad relationship expectations
• Bad attachment


  1. A child with bad experiences of their first attachment

  2. Brings these experiences to bear on later relationships

  3. May struggle to form relationships in the first place

  4. May not behave appropriately
• Bowlby suggested that a baby’ first relationship with their primary attachment figure 


  leads to a mental representation of their relationship.
• Attachment type

  The quality of an individual's attachment to their primary caregiver, classified as secure, insecure-avoidant, or insecure-resistant
• Attachment type

  Can predict bullying behaviour
• Study of Myron-Wilson and Smith


  • Made a questionnaire for 196 children in a school in London
• Attachment types found in the study

  • Secure attachment: very unlikely to be involved in bullying
  • Insecure avoidant: usually victims of bullying
  • Insecure resistant: most likely to be the bullies
• Internal working model


  Affects the way people parent their own children, as parents base their parenting style on their own internal working model which is likely to be passed on through generations
• Study by Bailey et al.


  • Looked at the attachments of 99 mothers to their babies and their own mothers
  • Mother-child attachment was tested through the strange-situation
  • Attachment to own mothers was tested through interviews
  • Majority of women had the same attachment classification to both their babies and their mothers
• Hazen and Shaver study


  • Aim: Find if attachments types in infancy affect adult relationships
  • Procedure: 'Love quiz' American newspaper questionnaires which asked about current attachment experience, general love experience, and attachment types
• Attachment types found in the Hazen and Shaver study


  • 56% - Secure
  • 25% - Avoidant
  • 19% - Resistant
• Securely attached adults

  Love experience was happy and trusting
• Insecurely avoidant attached adults


  Were jealous and had fear of intimacy
• insecure resistent adults

  Tended to have problems maintaining friendships
• The study of Hazen and Shaver demonstrated the link between early attachment type and later relationships
• Strength of the influence of early attachment on adult relationships

  • Research supports it, Mc Carthy studied 40 women who were assessed when they were infants to establish their early attachment type.
  • Those assessed securely attached infants had the best adult friendships, those assessed insecure-resistant had problems maintaining friendships and those who were assessed insecure avoidant struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships.
  • This is a strength because it supports the predictions made in the theory and having much support evidence increases the validity of theory.
• Maternal deprivation theory


  Disruption to the maternal bond in early life can lead to emotional problems later on, such as Lenny's fear of commitment and intimacy
• Evaluation of the Influence of early attachment on adult relationships

  • Strength: Research supports it
  • Weakness: Correlational research cannot establish cause and effect
  • Weakness: Not all studies support the internal working model
  • Weakness: Validity issues with interviews and questionnaires used to assess attachment
• Research supporting influence of early attachment


  • McCarthy studied 40 women, found securely attached infants had best adult friendships, insecure-resistant had problems maintaining friendships, insecure avoidant struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships
• Interviews and questionnaires used to assess infant and adult attachment have validity issues, as respondents may not be honest or have realistic views on their own relationships
• One weakness of the influence of Early attachment in adult relationships

  One weakness of the influence of early attachment on adult relationships is that research is correlational and correlations cannot establish cause and effect. For example, we cannot say that relationships between early attachment type and later love styles is one of the cause and effect as they could be a third factor involved later on. This is a weakness because it is counter to Bowlby’s view that the internal working model causes these outcomes. 
• Another weakness of the influence of early attachment on adult relationships

  Not all studies support the internal working model For example, a researcher assessed infant attachment type at 12-18 months of age and when they turned 16 he interviewed them to assess their adolescent attachment to their parents. It was found that there was very little relationship between quality of infant and adolescent attachment. This is a weakness because it is not what we expert if the internal working model was important in development.
• Third weakness of the influence of early attachment on adult relationships is the validity issues into the internal working model.

  Interviews and questionnaires are used in infants and adult attachment. This is problematic as respondents may not be honest or have a realistic view on their own relationships as they are expected to have good memories of their childhood attachment. This is a weakness as we cannot rely on the internal validity of the findings which cast doubt on any conclusions made by researchers
• Institutionalisation


  The effects of living in an institutional setting, where people live for long continuous periods of time, these are living arrangements outside of family. E.g Hospital and orphanages.
• Long-term effects of deprivation

  • Can be studied in the context of institutional care
  • Much of the understanding comes from orphan studies, these studies look at the effects of institutionalisation which affects social, mental and physical development of children
• Key Study: Rutter et al ERA


  To test what extent of good care could make up for poor early development and experiences in an institution
• Procedure


  1. 165 Romanian children were adopted in Britain

  2. 111 were adopted before the age of 2

  3. 54 were adopted at the age of 4

  4. Children were tested at regular intervals to test their physical, cognitive and emotional development
• Overall findings showed that when the romanian children arrived in the uk, malnourished and showed signs of developed intellectual development
• Findings on intellectual development

  • Children adopted before 6 months caught up on intellectual development compared to those who were adopted after the age of 2
  • Before 6 months: IQ- 102
  • 6 months - 2 years: IQ-86
  • After 2 years: IQ 77
• Findings on attachment types

  • Children adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment
  • Children adopted before 6 months rarely showed this attachment type
• Educational services helped with issues such as quasi autistic features and inattention/ overactivity
• Mental health services help with poor mental health as a result of early deprivation
• Bowlby's 'Critical period'


  Could be described as a 'sensitive period' as it is not impossible to form them after the age of 2 if the child is adopted into a warm and loving environment
• The overall effects of institutionalisation


  • Physical development: children physically as a result of lack of emotional care
  • Distinguish attachment: (clingy, attention seeking) children are equally friendly and affectionate towards familiar people and strangers
  • Intellectual disability: cognitive development is also affected by emotional deprivation
  • Poor parenting
• Strength of Rutter's effects on institutions

  • There are real life applications
  • There have been improvements on how children are treated and cared for in institutions
  • Romanian orphan studies have improved psychologists' understanding of the effects of early institutional care and how to prevent the worst effects
  • This is a strength as it shows how research can be immensely valuable in practical terms
• Weakness of Rutter's effects on institutions

  • There are individual differences
  • Some children recover when they do not form a primary attachment
  • Rutter suggested that some children may have received 'special attention' meaning that they did have early attachment experiences
  • This threatens the validity of the research, therefore we cannot generalise the findings with full confidence