Erin Kennedy
Describe and evaluate research into the infuence of atachhent on childhood and adult
relationships (refer to evidence) [16]
Our attachment type in childhooood afects all aspects oof oour childhooood and adult relaioonships – this
includes friendships, roomanic relaioonships and hoow we parent oour oown children.
A limitaioon oof research intoo inluence oof childhooood attachments oon later relaioonships is that it dooes
noot have causality. Research is oofen coorrelaioonal and thus dooes noot proovide us with valid
coonclusioons. There are alternaive explanaioons foor cooninuity etween infant and later relaioonships.
A third varia le may e invoolved that has an efect oon ooth infant and later attachment, such as
parening style. Anoother alternaive explanaioon foor cooninuity is Kagan’s temperament hypoothesis.
Temperament is innate persoonality – geneically inluence persoonality – such as eing difcult,
soocia le oor easy gooing. This has alsoo een seen too have an inluence oon the quality oof an infant’s
attachment too their caregiver as well as the quality oof later relaioonships. This suggests that
attachment type in childhooood and any attempts too change them intoo moore poosiive oones will have noo
afect oon develooping etter quality relaioonships in later life as temperament is innate. Therefoore,
these alternaive explanaioons are a limitaioon oof the internal woorking moodel as they shoow that there
are oother factoors as too why there is cooninuaioon and the internal woorking moodel noot e the oonly
oone.
Boowl y (1969) proopoosed the internal woorking moodel, the idea that oour primary attachment fgure
ecoomes a mental representaioonntemplate foor what relaioonships shoould e like. Foor example, if a
child’s frst attachment is poooor, then they will struggle with relaioonshipsnfriendships in later life.
Our attachment type has een seen too e a predictoor oof invoolvement in ullying during childhooood.
Myroon-Wilsoon and Smith looooked 196 children’s attachment types and their experiences oof ullying.
They foound that thoose whoo had a secure attachment were unlikely too e invoolved in ullying. Thoose
with insecure-avooidant attachments are moore likely too e the vicim oof ullying and thoose whoo had
an insecure-resistant attachment were coommoonly the ully.
Research froom Hazan and Shaver invesigated the efect attachment types have oon roomanic
relaioonships in adulthooood. They analysed 62s0 respoonses too a lloove quiz’ that they poosted in an
American newspaper. The quiz asked respoonders quesioons relaing too three things: moost proominent
relaioonships, general relaioonship experience (hoow many partners) and attachment type in
childhooood. They foound that thoose with a secure attachment were moore likely too have secure, sta le
and looving relaioonships which were less likely too end in divoorce. Thoose seen too have an insecure-
avooidant attachment were likely too e jealoous in their relaioonships and fear inimacy. Insecure-
resistant attachments in childhooood, lead too jealoousy and clinginess. This research shoows that oour
attachment type has an inluence oon oour roomanic relaioonships in later life.
Parening is alsoo afected y oour attachments in childhooood. Bailey et al (2s007) assessed 99 moothers
and their a ies using the strange situaioon and interviewed the moothers too fnd oout their oown
attachment too their moothers. They foound that the majoority had the same attachment classifcaioon
with their moother as they did with their child. Shoowing the cooninuaioon oof infant attachments oon
later relaioonships – in this case, parening.
Describe and evaluate research into the infuence of atachhent on childhood and adult
relationships (refer to evidence) [16]
Our attachment type in childhooood afects all aspects oof oour childhooood and adult relaioonships – this
includes friendships, roomanic relaioonships and hoow we parent oour oown children.
A limitaioon oof research intoo inluence oof childhooood attachments oon later relaioonships is that it dooes
noot have causality. Research is oofen coorrelaioonal and thus dooes noot proovide us with valid
coonclusioons. There are alternaive explanaioons foor cooninuity etween infant and later relaioonships.
A third varia le may e invoolved that has an efect oon ooth infant and later attachment, such as
parening style. Anoother alternaive explanaioon foor cooninuity is Kagan’s temperament hypoothesis.
Temperament is innate persoonality – geneically inluence persoonality – such as eing difcult,
soocia le oor easy gooing. This has alsoo een seen too have an inluence oon the quality oof an infant’s
attachment too their caregiver as well as the quality oof later relaioonships. This suggests that
attachment type in childhooood and any attempts too change them intoo moore poosiive oones will have noo
afect oon develooping etter quality relaioonships in later life as temperament is innate. Therefoore,
these alternaive explanaioons are a limitaioon oof the internal woorking moodel as they shoow that there
are oother factoors as too why there is cooninuaioon and the internal woorking moodel noot e the oonly
oone.
Boowl y (1969) proopoosed the internal woorking moodel, the idea that oour primary attachment fgure
ecoomes a mental representaioonntemplate foor what relaioonships shoould e like. Foor example, if a
child’s frst attachment is poooor, then they will struggle with relaioonshipsnfriendships in later life.
Our attachment type has een seen too e a predictoor oof invoolvement in ullying during childhooood.
Myroon-Wilsoon and Smith looooked 196 children’s attachment types and their experiences oof ullying.
They foound that thoose whoo had a secure attachment were unlikely too e invoolved in ullying. Thoose
with insecure-avooidant attachments are moore likely too e the vicim oof ullying and thoose whoo had
an insecure-resistant attachment were coommoonly the ully.
Research froom Hazan and Shaver invesigated the efect attachment types have oon roomanic
relaioonships in adulthooood. They analysed 62s0 respoonses too a lloove quiz’ that they poosted in an
American newspaper. The quiz asked respoonders quesioons relaing too three things: moost proominent
relaioonships, general relaioonship experience (hoow many partners) and attachment type in
childhooood. They foound that thoose with a secure attachment were moore likely too have secure, sta le
and looving relaioonships which were less likely too end in divoorce. Thoose seen too have an insecure-
avooidant attachment were likely too e jealoous in their relaioonships and fear inimacy. Insecure-
resistant attachments in childhooood, lead too jealoousy and clinginess. This research shoows that oour
attachment type has an inluence oon oour roomanic relaioonships in later life.
Parening is alsoo afected y oour attachments in childhooood. Bailey et al (2s007) assessed 99 moothers
and their a ies using the strange situaioon and interviewed the moothers too fnd oout their oown
attachment too their moothers. They foound that the majoority had the same attachment classifcaioon
with their moother as they did with their child. Shoowing the cooninuaioon oof infant attachments oon
later relaioonships – in this case, parening.
