attachment and later relationships

• attachment type is believed to affect nature of our future relationships
• internal working model

  • children develop internal working model based on first relationship with primary attachment figure - from experience with this relationship - children form mental template which is used as a model for forming later relationships in the future
• the kind of experience a child has with their primary attachment figure will affect nature of their future relationships
• internal working model examples

  • first experience - loving relationship with reliable caregiver - child assumes this is how relationship is meant to be - seeks out functional relationships
  • first experience - bad relationship - child will bring bad experiences to later relationship - may struggle to form relationships/behave inappropriately when in relationship
• continuity hypothesis

  • idea that later relationships are influenced by earlier experiences of attachment
• relationships in later childhood

  • attachment type associated with quality of peer relationships in childhood
  • securely attached infants tend to form best quality childhood friendships - insecurely attached infants have difficulties
  • key study - myron wilson and smith
• key study for relationships in later childhood

  • 196 children age 7-11 from london answered questionaires
  • secure children were unlikely to be involved in bullying
  • insecure avoidant were likely to be victims of bulling
  • insecure resistant were likely to be bullies
• key study - hazan and shaver - romantic relationships in adulthood

  • love quiz
  • researchers interested in bowlbys idea that infants first attachment formed an internal working model (template for all future relationships)
  • aimed to see if there is correlation between infants attachment type and future approach to romantic relationships
• procedure for hazan and shavers study

  • love quiz had 3 components - measure of attachment type, love experience questionnaire (beliefs abt romantic love), questionnaire (current/most important relationship)
  • printed in newspaper - send answers
  • analysed first 620 replies - aged 14 - 82
  • classified to ainsworths infant attachment types of secure, avoidant and resistant attachment
  • secure - love experience was happy, friendly + trusting (positive internal working model)
  • avoidant - feared intimacy, emotional highs + lows, jealousy
  • resistant - worry abt partners not loving them/ abandoning them
• findings of hazar and shavers study

  • self report used found high correlation between infant attachment types and adult relationship love style
  • 56% secure
  • 25% avoidant
  • 19% resistant
• conclusion of hazar and shavers study

  • concluded theres evidence supporting concept of internal working model having long lasting effect
  • not everyone stayed true to infant attachment type due to changing as they grew
• relationships in adulthood as parents

  • people tend to base parenting style on their internal working model - attachment type tends to be passed through generations
  • key study - bailey
• key study bailey - relationships in adulthood as parents

  • considered attachments of 99 mothers + babies and their own mothers
  • mother - baby attachment measured using strange situation
  • mother - own mother attachment measured using adult attachment interview
  • majority of women had SAME attachment classification to their babies and own mothers
• evaluation points for attachment and later relationships

  • lacks validity (-)
  • theory is deterministic (-)
  • cause and effect (-)
• lacks validity (-) for later relationships and attachment

  • love quiz used questionaire to obtain research - questionnaire is self report technique which is more susceptible to bias than other methods
  • social desirability bias can be common within questionnaires containing sensitive topics - some may want to make out they have happy relationship when actually they arent in one
  • findings can lead to inaccurate conclusions
  • research conducted lacks validity meaning explanation is limited - not direct measurement as it is individuals interpretations of own relationship - methodology is questioned
• theory is deterministic (-) for attachment and later relationships

  • continuity hypothesis theory suggests attachment type in infancy will determine quality of individuals later relationships
  • research suggests early experiences have fixed effect on later relationships
  • deterministic view doesnt apply to everyone (some may improve) - cases were people are insecurely attached as infant and now in happy adult relationship
  • theory limited due to being deterministic and cant explain why individuals are able to experience different attachment types in infancy and then differing one in later life
• cause and effect (-)

  • studies into association between attachment type and quality of later relationships use correlational methodology - association between two variables is estbalished but cause and effect is not
  • possible continuity between infant and later relationships may be down to other factors - temperament
  • researchers observed babies aged 1-3 days and found those that had been calmer and less hassle were more likely to go on to be securely attached
  • questions around it not being attachment type that influences later quality of relationships but instead individuals temperament