Influence of early attachment on later relationships

• Internal working model:

  • A mental model providing individuals with expectations about their relationships.  
  • This is based on early relationships with the primary caregiver. 
• Continuity hypothesis:

  • The idea that infants who are strongly attached in infancy continue to be socially and emotionally competent,
  • Whereas infants who are not have social and emotional difficulties in childhood and adulthood
• Influence of early attachment on adult relationships

  Hazan and Shaver (1987)

  Aim: To test the internal working model by looking at the association between early attachment and adult relationships.
• Procedure:

  • They placed a love quiz in a local newspaper asking questions about:

  1. Current and most important relationship
  2. Attachment history/Attachment type
  3. The IWM was assessed by questions focusing on attitudes towards love

  • 620 responses: 205 men; 415 women
• Findings:

  Study on Attachment Styles

  • 56% identified as securely attached.

  • 25% insecure-avoidant, 19% insecure resistant.

  • Secure attachments lead to good, lasting romantic experiences.

  • Avoidant respondents reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy.

  • Resistant respondents show insecurity and clinginess.

  • Positive internal working model (IWM) found in securely attached individuals.
• Poor parenting

  • Harlow’s research with monkeys also demonstrated a link between poor attachment and later difficulties with parenting. 
  • Quinton et al. showed that the same is true in humans
  • The lack of an IWM means that individuals lack a reference point to subsequently form relationships with their own children.
• Influence of early attachment on childhood relationships

  Childhood friendships: 

  • Minnesota child-parent study found continuity between early attachment and later emotional/social development.
  • Individuals classified as securely attached in infancy were less isolated, more popular and more empathetic.
  • IWM explains this as securely attached infants have higher expectations that others are friendly and trusting, enabling easier relationships with others.
• Bullying behaviour

  • Bullying behaviour can be predicted by attachment type.
  • Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using questionnaires in 196 children aged 7-11 from London.
  • Secure children were very unlikely to be involved in bullying. 
  • Insecure avoidant children were the most likely to be victims.
  • Insecure resistant children were most likely to be bullies.
• Mental health

  • Lack of attachment during critical period leads to lack of an IWM. 
  • This leads to attachment disorder - “ children have no preferred attachment figure, an inability to interact and relate to others and experience severe neglect or frequent change of caregivers.
• Criticism of Correlational Research on Early Attachment

  • Research links internal working model/early attachment to later relationship experiences.

  • Criticizes correlational approach, not experimental.

  • Suggests other factors like a child's temperament may directly affect attachment and later relationships. 

  • Limits conclusion that internal working model determines later relationships.
• Criticism of Research on Early Attachments

  • Most studies rely on retrospective classification, asking adults about their early lives.

  • Recollections may be flawed due to social desirability bias and lack of accuracy.

  • Research may have low internal validity as it doesn't measure infant attachment types.
• Research support for Hazan and Shaver

  • However, Simpson et al. (2007) support Hazan and Shaver. 
  • They found that participants who were securely attached in infancy were rated as having higher social competence as children, being closer to their friends at age 16 and were more expressive and emotionally attached to their romantic partners in early adulthood.
  • This supports the view that attachment type does predict relationships in adult life.
• Criticism of Early Attachment Studies

  • Critics argue these studies are deterministic, suggesting early experiences have a fixed effect on adult relationships.

  • This suggests insecure attachment as an infant doesn't control future relationships.

  • However, studies show happy adult relationships even in cases of insecure attachment.

  • Simpson claims The research doesn't imply an individual's past unalterably determines future relationships.