3a. Influence of early attachment on later relationships

What does the IWM act as?

IWM acts as a template for future childhood and adult relationships.

The quality of a baby’s fi rst attachment is crucial because this template will powerfully aff ect the nature of their future relationships. A baby whose fi rst experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable attachment fi gure will tend to assume this is how relationships are meant to be. They will then seek out functional relationships and behave functionally within them, i.e. without being too uninvolved or emotionally close (which would typify insecure–avoidant attachment) or being controlling and argumentative (insecure–resistant attachment).

Who did the Love quiz and what was it providing evidence for?

Hazan and Shaver did the love quiz and it is evidence of Bowlby’s main monotropic theory

What was the aim of love quiz? (Hazan and Shaver)

Aim of the love quiz (Hazan and Shaver)=

to demonstrate Bowlby’s idea of IWMs; that early attachment dictates later romantic relationships

What was the procedure of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz?

Procedure of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz=

they used a ‘love quiz’ of 100 questions with sections of attachment history, adult attachment type, mental models of relationships and attitudes to love. 620 ppts responded

What were the findings of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz?

Findings of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz=

• 56% classified themselves as securely attached and believed love to be enduring, there were fewer divorces in this group and had a good level of mutual trust in their relationships

• 25% classified themselves as insecure avoidant and 19% as insecure resistant. Collectively, they tended to regard love as rare, found relationships less easy, and more likely to get divorced

What was the conclusion of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz?

Conclusion of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz=

experiences of and attitudes towards love (ie IWMs) correlate with attachment type

What are 4 behaviours influenced by the IWM?

4 behaviours influenced by the IWM=

• childhood friendships/ relationships in childhood

• relationships in adulthood

  • romantic relationships

  • parental relationships with your own children

• mental health

How are childhood friendships/ relationships in childhood influenced by the IWM?

Childhood friendships/ relationships in childhood influenced by IWM=

Myron-Wilson and Smith aimed to show how attachment type linked with future bullying behaviour in late childhood. They did a questionaire on 196 children, aged 7 to 11, living in London. They found that insecure resistant children tended to be bullies, with insecure avoidant being their most likely victims, secure were unlikely to be involved at all. From this it can be concluded that attachment type does correlate with bullying behaviours in later childhood

How are romantic relationships- relationships in adulthood- influenced by the IWM?

Romantic relationships- relationships in adulthood- influenced by the IWM=

Bowlby stated that monotropic attachment is unique; it is the first to develop, and the strongest, and forms out IWMs of relationships. These are our mental relationships that define our future relationships as they carry our perceptions of what relationships should be like. The ‘continuity hypothesis’ suggests there is a consistency between early emotional attachments and the person’s ability to form healthy relationships later in life

How are parental relationships (with your own children)- relationships in adulthood- influenced by the IWM?

Parental relationships (with your own children)- relationships in adulthood- inlfuenced by the IWM=

Bailey et al performed Strange Situation observations on 99 mothers and their children, alongside interviews with the mothers to identify their own attachment types. They found that mothers with insecure attachments were more likely to have children who are poorly attached. From this it can be concluded that IWMs were being passed down family lines with attachment types correlating with parenting skill and ability to form attachments with their own children.

How is mental health influenced by the IWM?

Mental health influenced by the IWM=

covered in affectionless psychopathy and lower intellectual development