Discuss research into the influence of early attachment on adult relationships.
Across research on attachment, the general consensus has been that whether a first
childhood experience is with a loving and reliable caregiver, the child assumes that this is
how relationships are meant to be . But if the first attachment experience, this will continue
as a trend in adult relationships.
Hazen and Shaver’s Love Quiz (1987) explored the idea of continuity between early
attachment relationships and the quality of later adult relationships, they formed a
volunteer sample of 620 from an American Newspaper. Most (56%) of the participants were
securely attached and so were most likely to have good, long lasting relationships. The
remaining participants, particularly those who were avoidantly attached would likely suffer
relationship difficulties, were jealous and feared intimacy. There was a higher tendency for
divorce and pessimism when it came to finding love. The findings support the idea that
childhood experiences have significant impacts on peoples attitude towards later ones. It
also links closely to Ainsworth’s attachment types from the Strange Situation. On this note,
Ainsworth’s strange Situation research - placing a child, mother and stranger in a room and
observing their interactions in different situations – found 3 attachment types. These were;
secure – those conformable with intimacy, with a positive view of themselves and others,
anxious avoidant – those that avoid close relationships and prioritise independence, and
insecure-resistant – those who fear being rejected and become overly clingy in relationships.
Bowlby said that a child’s Internal working model acts as a template for future relationships
and found that a first attachment experience with a reliable and loving caregiver leads a
child in later adult life to seek out functional relationships and maintain healthy boundaries.
Whereas a negative first attachment with an unreliable caregiver will lead to an adult who
may be controlling or argumentative, behave inappropriately in friendships and relationships
or struggle to form them at all. Lastly, Harlow’s research on Rhesus monkeys separated from
their mothers found that later on in life these now adult monkeys had trouble mating, were
very timid or very aggressive, and those female monkeys that managed to mate were
insufficient mothers to their own young. Overall, not only are future friendships and
relationships affected by early attachments, but the adults relationships with their own
children is influenced.
Hazan and Shaver’s idea of continuity between early attachment and the quality of later
adult relationships is supported by Bowlby’s concept of the internal working model. Bowlby
proposed that early attachments form mental representations or "templates" of
relationships, which influence how individuals perceive and behave in future romantic,
platonic, and parental bonds. This theory supports Hazan and Shaver’s "Love Quiz," which
found that adults’ attachment styles in romantic relationships often reflected their early
childhood experiences. Such findings suggest a lasting influence of early attachment patterns
on later relationship quality. However, a key criticism of this explanation is its deterministic
nature—it implies that early attachments rigidly determine future relationship outcomes,
downplaying the role of free will and the potential for change. This could unfairly blame
parents for later difficulties and ignore the influence of later-life experiences, such as
supportive friendships or therapy. Bowlby argues these fall outside the critical period, and
thus cannot change the internal working model. Nevertheless, the internal working model
remains a useful theoretical tool for understanding how early attachment may shape later
[Type here]
Across research on attachment, the general consensus has been that whether a first
childhood experience is with a loving and reliable caregiver, the child assumes that this is
how relationships are meant to be . But if the first attachment experience, this will continue
as a trend in adult relationships.
Hazen and Shaver’s Love Quiz (1987) explored the idea of continuity between early
attachment relationships and the quality of later adult relationships, they formed a
volunteer sample of 620 from an American Newspaper. Most (56%) of the participants were
securely attached and so were most likely to have good, long lasting relationships. The
remaining participants, particularly those who were avoidantly attached would likely suffer
relationship difficulties, were jealous and feared intimacy. There was a higher tendency for
divorce and pessimism when it came to finding love. The findings support the idea that
childhood experiences have significant impacts on peoples attitude towards later ones. It
also links closely to Ainsworth’s attachment types from the Strange Situation. On this note,
Ainsworth’s strange Situation research - placing a child, mother and stranger in a room and
observing their interactions in different situations – found 3 attachment types. These were;
secure – those conformable with intimacy, with a positive view of themselves and others,
anxious avoidant – those that avoid close relationships and prioritise independence, and
insecure-resistant – those who fear being rejected and become overly clingy in relationships.
Bowlby said that a child’s Internal working model acts as a template for future relationships
and found that a first attachment experience with a reliable and loving caregiver leads a
child in later adult life to seek out functional relationships and maintain healthy boundaries.
Whereas a negative first attachment with an unreliable caregiver will lead to an adult who
may be controlling or argumentative, behave inappropriately in friendships and relationships
or struggle to form them at all. Lastly, Harlow’s research on Rhesus monkeys separated from
their mothers found that later on in life these now adult monkeys had trouble mating, were
very timid or very aggressive, and those female monkeys that managed to mate were
insufficient mothers to their own young. Overall, not only are future friendships and
relationships affected by early attachments, but the adults relationships with their own
children is influenced.
Hazan and Shaver’s idea of continuity between early attachment and the quality of later
adult relationships is supported by Bowlby’s concept of the internal working model. Bowlby
proposed that early attachments form mental representations or "templates" of
relationships, which influence how individuals perceive and behave in future romantic,
platonic, and parental bonds. This theory supports Hazan and Shaver’s "Love Quiz," which
found that adults’ attachment styles in romantic relationships often reflected their early
childhood experiences. Such findings suggest a lasting influence of early attachment patterns
on later relationship quality. However, a key criticism of this explanation is its deterministic
nature—it implies that early attachments rigidly determine future relationship outcomes,
downplaying the role of free will and the potential for change. This could unfairly blame
parents for later difficulties and ignore the influence of later-life experiences, such as
supportive friendships or therapy. Bowlby argues these fall outside the critical period, and
thus cannot change the internal working model. Nevertheless, the internal working model
remains a useful theoretical tool for understanding how early attachment may shape later
[Type here]
