INFLUENCE OF EARLY ATTACHMENT ON LATER RELATIONSHIPS

Bowlby Internal working model hypothesis

Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis states childrens attachment type is reflected in their later relationships because the infant develops a internal working model from their primary attachment figure

Why is the caregiver important

The caregiver is the first relationship the child experiences

What is the result if the caregiver is reliable

If the caregiver is reliable, trustworthy, responsive to their needs and sensitive, this is the template the child developes of how all relationships will be, and the child will seek functional relationships

What is the result if the caregiver is unreliable

The child has a bad experience of their first attachment and will struggle to find fungtional relationships, and will bring these bad experiences onto later relationships

What will a child with bad experience be like

They may struggle to form relationships/not behave properly, displaying resistant/avoidant behaviour

How does attachment type reflect relationships in later childhood

Attachment type is associated with the quality of peer relationships in childhood.

How are securely attached infants relationships in later childhood

They go to form the best quality childhood friendships

How are insecurely attached infants relationships in later childhood

They have friendship difficulties

What did Myron Wilson + Smith find out about secure, insecure resistamt and insecure avoidant children

They found that secure children are unlikely to be involved in bullying. Resistant are most likely to be bullies. Insecure avoidant are most likely to be the victim of bullying

What did Hazen and Shaver find out about relationships in adulthood with romantic partners

They conducted a classic study of association between attachment and adult relationships - they analysed 620 replies to a love quiz printed in an American newspaper.

There were 3 sections on the love quiz

What were the 3 sections on the love quiz analysing

First section assessed respondents current/most important relationship

Second section assessed general love experiences e.g. number of partners

Third section assessed attachment type by asking respondents to choose which of 3 statements best described their feeling

What were the results of Hazen and Shaver’s experiment

They found that 56% of respondents were secure, 25% avoidant, 19% resistant

They concluded that secure = likely to have long lasting romantic experiences, and avoidant = jealousy

What did Bailey do linking to relationships in adulthood as a parent

Bailey considered attachment of 99 mothers to babies and own mothers. Mother baby attachment was assessed and own attachment to mothers was assessed.

How was mother baby attachment assessed

Using the strange situation

How was own attachment to mothers assessed

During an adult attachment interview

What was the results of Bailey’s study

The majority of women had the same attachment to both mothers and babies, supporting the continutity hypothesis and internal working model

WEAKNESS - Many assessments of attachment rely on self report techniques

Many assessments of early attachments and current day attachments rely on the use of questionnaires and interviews (self report) as a means of categorising participants as a specific attachment type

Furthermore Hazan and Shaver assessed infant parent attachment by means of interview/questionnaire years later, not in infancy.

Weakness as self report gives us indirect evidence about internal working model. It reduces validity as self report relies on honest respondents and retrospectove data/accurate recollection.

Endorces so ial desirability bias

WEAKNESS -