Influence of early attachment on later relationships Flashcards
What is the internal working model?
Formed by the Childs experience of their relationship with their primary caregiver
It is a mental schema for what future relationships should be like
Internal working model influences our later relationships in childhood, romantic relationships and relationships as a parent
How does attachment type affect relationships in later childhood?
Securely attached - form best quality childhood friendships
Insecurely attached - later have friendship difficulties
What did Myron wilson et al find?
196 children aged 7-11 in London
Secure - very unlikely to be involved with bullying
Insecure avoidant - most likely to be victims
Insecure resistant - most likely to be bullies
WHat did Hazan and Shaver research about affects on relationships with romantic partners?
Conducted a love quiz
620 American participants
Assessed attachment type, general love experiences and current and most important relationship
What were Hazan and Shavers findings?
56% securely attached
25% insecure avoidant
19% insecure resistant
Those who were securely attached had good longer lasting relationships
Those who were insecure avoidant were jealous and had a fear of intimacy in their relationships
How does attachment type affect parents relationship with their own children?
Base parenting style on their internal working model
Passed on through generations of a family
Bailey et al
Attachments of 99 mothers to their babies
Mother baby attachment assed using strange situation
Mothers attachment to their own mother assessed using adult attachment interview
Majority of women had same attachment classification both their babies and their own mothers
What is an evaluation of attachment and later relationships?
Research support
Reviews of evidence have concluded early attachment consistently predicts later attachment, emotional well-being and attachment type
Later development depends both on attachment type and aspect of later development
Insecure - convey fairly mild disadvantages, disorganised attachment is strongly associated with later mental disorder
Meaning secure attachment as a baby appears to convey advantages for future development while disorganised attachment appears to seriously disadvantage children
What are evaluations of maternal deprivation?
Counterpoint to research support
Not all evidence supports
Regensburg
longitudinal study
43 individuals for 1 years old
Age 16 - attachment was assed using adult attachment interview
No evidence of continuity
Meaning not clear to what extent the quality of early attachment really predicts later development
Many other important factors
What are evaluations of maternal deprivation?
Validity issues with retrospective studies
Most research not longitudinal
Usually ask adolescent or adult participants questions about relationships with parents
Identify attachment type from this
Two validity problems
Asking questions relies on honesty and accurate perception of participants
Hard to know whether what is being assessed is early attachment or adult attachment
Meaning measures of early attachment used in most studies may be confounded with other factors making them meaningless
What are evaluations of maternal deprivation?
Confounding variables
Some studies assess attachment in infancy
Assessment of early attachment is valid
May have validity problems
Associations between attachment quality and later development may be affected by confounding variables
Parenting style may influence both attachment quality and later development
Genetically influenced personality may be an influence on both factors
Meaning we can never be entirely sure that it is early attachment and not some other factor that is influencing later development
