8. Influence of attachment on later relationships

Bowlbys internal working model (influence of attachment on later relationships)

It’s a schema that forms child’s first relationship with their caregiver. It also serves as a template for future relationships.

How attachment affects childhood relationships?

Kerns- found that securely attached infants have better quality relationships with their peers in later childhood than insecurely attached infants.

Wilson & Smith- used questionnaires to assess both beh and attach types of 7-11 year olds from London. Found that within scenarios that involved bullying:

-secure- least likely to be involved

-avoidant- most likely to be victims

-resistant- most likely to be the bully

So attachment types affects behaviour with peers.

How attachment affects adulthood?

Bailey(parenting)- assessed 99 mothers and infants using the strange situation and interviews, found that majority of mothers had the same attachment type with their own mother as their babies has to them. Suggests that attachment patterns can be passed from parent to child.

Hazan & Shaver (romantic)- analysed 620 replies to “love quiz” in the newspaper. Looked at 3 factors( current relationship, general love experience, attachment type). Pp had to choose one of the 3 statements to best describes them. Results:

-secure- 56% (most likely to have good, lasting relationships)

-avoidant- 25% (usually have a fear of intimacy)

-resistant- 19% (fear of being abandoned, clingy and jealous)

Evaluations for the influence of attachment on later relationships

P: Research support. Ev: Researcher conducted a review of literature into the link between infant attachment types and after development, finding links with bullying beh, romantic relationships, parenting and mental health. For example, disorganised attachment was most predictive of later mental health problems. Ex: Findings support Bowlbys claim that early attach acts as a template for future relationships. The review found consistent links between infant attachment and later social/emotional behaviour, suggesting attachment continues to influence relationships throughout life. L: Hugh external validity, as findings show to be consistent across multiple studies.

P: Not all research supports Bowlbys continuity hypothesis. Ev: Researcher assessed attach type in 43 babies at one year old and again at 16 years old using the Adult attachment interview. They found no evidence of continuity in attach type. Ex: Attach styles may change due to later experience ps such as friendships, trauma or romantic relationship, suggesting infant attachment may not permanently determine future relationships. L: Low internal validity, as later relationship outcomes may be influenced by other variables rather than infant attach alone.

P: Research into attachment and later relationships often relies on retroactive studies. Ev: Many studies assess infant attach in adulthood using questionnaires or interviews, requiring honest answers and info about pp early childhood experiences. Ex: PP may not accurately remember early attach experiences, creating recall bias. They may also give socially desirable answers, reducing accuracy. L: Low internal validity, as the data collected may not accurately reflect pp true childhood attach experiences.