Influence of early attachment on later relationships
Internal working model/continuity hypothesis
- Mental model of our relationships with our PAFs
- Affects future relationships eg parenting, friendships and romantic relationships
- Includes our perceptions/thoughts about what relationships should feel like
Hazan and Shaver (1987) = THE LOVE QUIZ STUDY (romantic relationships) = supports the IWM
Procedure
- Readers of local newspaper asked to: choose one of 3 descriptions that characterised their
experience of romantic relationships, tick items from a checklist of adjective to describe
relationship with their parents and answer questions about how long their adult
relationships had lasted
- Analysed 630 responses and repeated the exercise with 108 first year uni student
Findings
- Clear links between childhood attachments with parents and later adult relationships
BUT
- Forced choice questionnaire (what if they don’t fit into a category) + questionnaire = self
report
- Retrospective data and SDB
- Volunteer study – bias and certain profile of person
Further support for IWM – A01 or A03
Relationships in childhood
- Kerns (1994) found securely attached babies tend to go on to form best quality childhood
friendships and insecurely attached babies later have friendship difficulties
= relationship between childhood attachments and adulthood friendships
- Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) found bullying behaviour can be predicted by attachment
type. Assessed attachment type and bullying behaviour using 196 aged 7-11 children from
London. Questionnaire.
- Secure children = very unlikely to be involved in bullying
- Insecure-avoidant = most likely to be victims
- Insecure-resistant = most likely to be bullies
Internal working model/continuity hypothesis
- Mental model of our relationships with our PAFs
- Affects future relationships eg parenting, friendships and romantic relationships
- Includes our perceptions/thoughts about what relationships should feel like
Hazan and Shaver (1987) = THE LOVE QUIZ STUDY (romantic relationships) = supports the IWM
Procedure
- Readers of local newspaper asked to: choose one of 3 descriptions that characterised their
experience of romantic relationships, tick items from a checklist of adjective to describe
relationship with their parents and answer questions about how long their adult
relationships had lasted
- Analysed 630 responses and repeated the exercise with 108 first year uni student
Findings
- Clear links between childhood attachments with parents and later adult relationships
BUT
- Forced choice questionnaire (what if they don’t fit into a category) + questionnaire = self
report
- Retrospective data and SDB
- Volunteer study – bias and certain profile of person
Further support for IWM – A01 or A03
Relationships in childhood
- Kerns (1994) found securely attached babies tend to go on to form best quality childhood
friendships and insecurely attached babies later have friendship difficulties
= relationship between childhood attachments and adulthood friendships
- Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) found bullying behaviour can be predicted by attachment
type. Assessed attachment type and bullying behaviour using 196 aged 7-11 children from
London. Questionnaire.
- Secure children = very unlikely to be involved in bullying
- Insecure-avoidant = most likely to be victims
- Insecure-resistant = most likely to be bullies
