Internal working model : evaluation

What is a strength of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) study?

Large sample size → results can be generalised to a wider population.

What are the limitations of Hazan and Shaver’s study?

• Conducted in the USA, so ethnocentric (Western relationships only)

• Correlational → cannot establish cause and effect

• Demand characteristics → participants may give socially desirable answers

• Deterministic → suggests adult relationships are dictated by early attachment, ignoring free will

• Self-report/volunteer sample → not fully representative

What did McCarthy (1999) find regarding early attachment and adult relationships?

Studied 40 women assessed for attachment in infancy:

• Secure infants → secure adult relationships & higher self-esteem

• Insecure-avoidant → poor romantic relationships

• Insecure-resistant → poor friendships

• Both insecure groups → more likely to live with a deviant partner
  Conclusion: Early attachment style influences quality of friendships and romantic relationships.

How does McCarthy (1999) improve on Hazan and Shaver?

By using participants assessed in infancy, it avoids issues with recall bias about early experiences.

What is the evidence for intergenerational transmission of attachment?

• Harlow’s monkeys → poor parents if maternally deprived

• Bailey (2007) → women mostly had the same attachment classification with their own babies as they had with their mothers

Are there studies that contradict the continuity hypothesis?

• Zimmerman (2000) → German children’s adult attachment type was not predicted by early attachment

• Life events (e.g., divorce, parental illness or death) had more influence
  Conclusion: Early attachment is not the only factor in adult relationships; individual differences matter.

What is a practical application of the internal working model (IWM)?

Knowledge of IWM can help schools and professionals:

• Address bullying

• Reduce loneliness

• Help people with relationship difficulties

• Potentially alter maladaptive relationship expectations