11. The influence of early attachment

define internal working model

a mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment

a persons expectations about relationships

Hazan and Shaver (1987) Love quiz aim

test the internal working model and the influence of early attachment on later relationships

Hazan and Shaver (1987) Love quiz procedure

placed a “love quiz” in the newspaper

quiz asked about attachment history, current attachment experiences, and attitudes towards love (an assessment of the internal working model)

analysed 620 responses (205 from men, 415 from women)

Hazan and Shaver (1987) Love quiz findings

preventive of attachment styles was similar to that found in infancy

56% were classified as secure, 25% avoidant, 19% resistant

found a positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences

securely attached adults had more enduring relationships (10 years average) compared to 5 years for insecurely attached adult

link found between conception of love (internal working model) and attachment type = securely attached had positive internal working model

state 4 behaviours influenced by the internal working model

childhood friendships

poor parenting

romantic relationships

mental health

describe how childhood friendships are influenced by the internal working model

Minnesota parent-child study found continuity between early attachment and later emotional/social behaviours

individuals classified as securely attached in infancy were highest rated for social competence in adulthood, were less isolated, more popular, and more empathetic

securely attached infants have higher expectations that others are friendly and trusting = enables easier relationships with others

describe how poor parenting is influenced by the internal working model

Harlow’s monkeys demonstrated a link between poor attachment and later difficulties with parenting

Quinton et al showed the same is true in humans

the lack of an internal working model means that individuals lack a reference point to form relationships with their own children

describe how romantic relationships are influenced by the internal working model

Hazan and Shaver (1987) showed a link between early attachment type and later relationships

individuals who were securely attached had longer-lasting relationships

describe how mental health is influenced by the internal working model

the lack of an attachment during the critical period would result in a lack of an internal working model

children with attachment disorder have no preferred attachment figure, an inability to interact and relate with others (evident under 5 years of age), and experience severe neglect and frequent changes in caregivers

classed as “distinct psychiatric condition”

one limitation is the research is correlational

research linking the internal working model/early attachment with later relationships individuals experiences is correlational rather than experimental

cannot claim that the relationship between early attachment and certain behaviours is cause and effect

possible that both attachment style and other behaviours are caused by something different (e.g. innate temperament, Kagan’s temperament hypothesis)

researchers cannot claim the internal working model determines later relationships

one limitation is the reliance on retrospective data

Hazan and Shaver (1987) asked adults questions about their early life to assess infant attachment = recollections likely to be flawed (memory is inaccurate)

however, longitudinal studies support Hazan and Shaver’s findings

Simpson et al (2007) produced an ongoing longitudinal study and found that pps who were securely attached as infants were rated as having higher social competence as children, were close to their friends at age 16, and were more emotionally attached to their partners in early adulthood

support the view that attachment type does predict relationships in adult life

one limitation is the attachment research is overly deterministic

Hazan and Shaver (1987) suggest that early childhood experiences have a fixed effect on later adult relationships (continuity hypothesis)

this is not the case as researchers have found many instances where pps were experiencing happy adult relationships despite not having been securely attached as infants

Simpson et al (2007) concluded that the research does not suggest “an individual’s past unalterably determines the future course of their relationships”