8. Early Attachment & Later Relationships

Question 1

What helps explain adult relationships

Answer 1

Bowbly’s internal working model - looked at how our childhood attachments influence adult relationships

Question 2

Internal working model: SECURE attachment

Answer 2

• If a child has a SECURE attachment to a sensitive caregiver, they are likely to see themselves as worthy of being loved.
• They are then likely to form future secure relationships.

Question 3

Internal working model: INSECURE attachment

Answer 3

• If a child has an INSECURE attachment w a caregiver who rejects them, they are likely to see themselves as unworthy of being loved.
• They are then likely to form future insecure relationships.

Question 4

See diagram on pg38 for steps

Question 5

What did Hazan & Shaver (1987) do

Answer 5

Developed a study to explore how early attachment can predict/influence adult relationships

Question 6

Method of Hazan & Shaver (1987)

Answer 6

Hazan & Shaver conducted a ‘love quiz’ in a local newspaper. The quiz had 2 parts: 1st assessed the attachment type of each person w their parents. 2nd involved questions asking abt their current beliefs abt romantic love.

Question 7

Results of Hazan & Shaver (1987)

Answer 7

• The first 620 responses were analysed. Found a correlation between type of childhood attachment & ppl’s later views on romantic love.
• SECURE children were more likely to have happy/trustworthy relationships.
• INSECURE-AVOIDANT children ended up fearing intimacy.
• INSECURE-RESISTANT children were more likely to be worried that they weren’t loved in their relationships.

Question 8

Conclusion of Hazan & Shaver (1987)

Answer 8

Hazan & Shaver concluded that their findings provided SUPPORT for Bowlby’s internal working model - that early attachments do influence adult relationships.

Question 9

Evaluation of Hazan & Shaver (1987): CONS

Answer 9

1. Quiz relied on ppl thinking back to childhood - isnt always accurate.
2. Used volunteer sample, so certain type of person might be more likely to respond.
3. Ppl may have answered untruthfully to show themselves in a better light (social desirability bias).

Question 10

Evaluation of Hazan & Shaver (1987): PROS

Answer 10

1. Study has been repeated in 2003, & found similar results - reliable

Question 11

What is the Adult attachment interview

Answer 11

• Psychologists developed a way to try to scientifically assess the relationship between early childhood attachments & later adult attachments.
• They came up w the adult attachment interview:
• Based off the idea that it doesnt matter exactly what the childhood attachment was - its how it was remembered. This again supports Bowlby’s internal working model.

Question 12

Who proposed the Adult attachment interview

Answer 12

Main et al (1985)

Question 13

What does the Adult attachment interview involve

Answer 13

• The semi-structured interview involves a series of Q’s abt childhood attachment relationships, & how these were seen to influence later relationships.
• Interviewee asked to give 5 adjectives explaining relationship w each of parents.
• Then asked to explain why they chose each adjective.
• Other Q’s asked abt times they got upset, if they ever felt rejected, how they believe their early experiences influenced their adult attachments.
• Results are then classified by trained coders into a category - secure, dismissing, preoccupied or unresolved/disorganised.
• Main et al (1985) went on to show that the categories of adult relationships could be predicted from ppl’s recall of childhood attachments.

Question 14

2 long-term effects of privation

Answer 14

1. The cycle of privation - Quinton et al (1984)
2. Reactive Attachment Disorder - Parker & Forest (1993)

Question 15

Effects of privation: 1. The cycle of privation

Answer 15

Some studies suggest that children who experience privation go on to have difficulties caring for their own children.

(Quinton et al support)

Question 16

RESEARCH SUPPORT for the cycle of privation

Answer 16

Quinton et al (1984) compared 50 women who had experienced institutional care as children w 50 women who hadn’t. They found that the women who had been raised in institutions were more likely to have parenting difficulties later in life. Suggests there is a cycle of privation - children who experienced privation later become less caring parents.

Therefore, their children are deprived of a strong maternal attachment & may then be less caring to their children.

Question 17

Effects of privation: 2. Reactive Attachment Disorder

Answer 17

Parker & Forest (1993) outlined this rare but serious condition, occurs in children who have been permanently damaged by early experiences sa privation of attachment. Symptoms include:
1. inability to give/receive affection
2. dishonesty
3. poor social relationships
4. involvement in crime

Question 18

BUT, who showed that privation may not necessarily lead to detrimental outcomes

Answer 18

Freud & Dann (1951)

Question 19

What did Freud & Dann (1951) find

Answer 19

Freud & Dann (1951) studied 6 children who were rescued after WWII. They had been orphaned during war at few months old, raised in deportation camp. Although looked after by Jewish ppl ‘passing through’ to concentration camps, children didn’t have time to form any adult attachments, instead forming bonds amongst themselves.

When war ended, children were adopted by British families & have since shown few signs of a troubled upbringing, having a normal level of intelligence & maintaining normal relationships.