Attachment - Influence Of Early Attachments On Later Relationships Flashcards
What are some examples of childhood relationships?
Friendships
Classmates
Teachers
Parents
What are some examples of adult relationships?
Freindships
Co-workers
Romantic relationships
Children
What is the internal working model?
A mental representation of our attachment to our primary caregiver & template on what relationships should look like
Who came up with the internal working model?
Bowlby
Why is the quality of a child’s 1st attachment crucial for their future relationships?
A child with a positive experience of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to assume this as the norm & seek out functional relationships & a child with a negative experience of a relationship with a caregiver will behave more a/c attachment behaviours in relationships
What study did Myron-Wilson & Smith do about relationships in later childhood?
Assessed attachment type & involvement in bullying using questionnaires in 196 children (age 7-11) from London
Findings:
Secure children -> less likely to be involved
Insecure avoidant -> more likley to be victims
Insecure resistant -> more likely to be bullies
What study did McCarthy conduct about adult relationships with romantic partner?
Studied 40 women who’s attachment type was assessed at infancy
Findings:
Secure attachment -> had best adult & romantic relationships
Insecure avoidant -> struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships
Insecure resistant -> problems maintaining friendships
What was the procedure for Hazan & Shaver’s study on the correlation between attachment & adult relationships?
Analysed 620 replies of a ‘love quiz’ printed on an American newspaper (volunteer sample)
Quiz had 3 sections
1st section -> assessed current/most important relationship
2nd section -> assessed general love experiences
3rd section -> assessed attachment type (asked participants to choose 1 of 3 statements that best described their feelings)
What were the findings for Hazan & Shaver’s study on the correlation between attachment & adult relationships?
56% - securely attached -> more likely to have good & long lasting romantic experiences
25% - insecure avoidant
19% - insecure resistant
Avoidant & resistant -> revealed jealousy & fear of intimacy
What was the conclusion for Hazan & Shaver’s study on the correlation between attachment & adult relationships?
Suggest that patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships
What was the study by Bailey et al on relationships in adulthood as a parent?
Considered d the attachments of 99 mothers to their babies
Assessed mother-baby attachment using strange situation
Assessed mother-mother attachment with an interview
Found majority of women had the same attachment type as their babies & mothers
What are some strengths of research into the influence of early attachments on later relationships?
Influence of early attachment is probabilistic -> it is very likley that the quality of infant attachment is an influence on later relationships although it is exaggerated by Bowlby so Clarke & Clarke suggest that people aren’t doomed to have bad relationships just because they had attachment problems, there is just a higher risk
What are some limitations of research into the influence of early attachments on later relationships?
Correlation not causation -> a 3rd explanation (parenting style/child’s temperament) can have an effect on attachment style & the child’s ability to form relationships with others - counter’s Bowlby’s view
Issue of validity in studies -> using self repot techniques can be biased (social desirability bias) as it relies on people being honest & memory is unreliable
Self report is conscious but the internal working model isnt -> we’re not directly aware of it so we cannot get direct evidence using self report techniques as it requires people being aware of their internal working model & they’re reporting their conscious understanding of their relationships
