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influence of early attatchment on childhood and adult relationships -…
influence of early attatchment on childhood and adult relationships
internal working model
Bowlby suggested that the internal working model formed by a child becomes a template for future relationships and this predicts the continuity between early relationships with caregivers and later relationships in adulthood
internal working model is a mental representation of our self-concept and our relationship with our primary caregiver that becomes a template for future relationships (known as the continuity hypothesis)
on childhood relationships
Attachment type is associated with the quality of peer relationships in childhood
secure
Form best quality childhood friendships, unlikely to be a part of bullying behaviour as more confident & less likely to be the target of bullies
resistant
Form poorer quality friendships, most likely to be bullies because as have lower emotion regulation abilities and poorer social problem solving skills. also tend to form negative working models of others and relationships and behave (possibly aggressively) in accordance with this perspective
avoidant
Form poorer quality friendships, more likely to be victims of bullying because they tend to have fewer friends and are therefore often targets of bullies as they are vulnerable as have less children to defend them.
evaluation
support- from research study who asses attachment type&bullying using questionnaire which found secure children are unlikely to be involved in bullying. . Insecure-avoidant children were most likely to be victims and insecure-resistant were most likely to be bullies.These findings support the continuity hypothesis suggesting there is a link between early attachment and the quality of peer relationships in childhood
limitation-weakness of the influence of the internal working model on childhood relationships is that there is contradictory evidence.was a longitudinal study which assessed attachment type between 12-18 months and then revisited at 16 years using interviews to determine if attachment types in infancy determined adolescent relationships. found very little relationships between quality of infant and adolescent attachment.limitation because it is not what we would expect if internal working models were important in development therefore reducing the reliability of the internal working model
on adult relationships
Early attachment influences adult relationships in terms of parenting and romantic relationships
Research indicates an intergenerational continuity between adults attachment types and their children, including children adopting the parenting styles of their own parents. People tend to base their parenting style on the internal working model so attachment type tends to be passed on through generations of a family.
also appears to be continuity between early attachment styles and the quality of later adult romantic relationships. This idea is based upon the internal working model where an infant’s primary attachment forms a model (template) for future relationships
secure
being warm and loving in relationship comes naturally, enjoy being intimate without being overly worried about their relationship, effectively communicate to partner and good at reading partners emotional cues
insecure resistant
love to be very close to partner however fear their partner does not wish to be as close to them and consume a large part of their emotional energy. anxious and gets easily upset when their is negative emotions. may act out and say things they later regret
insecure avoidant
important for them to maintain their independence and self-sufficiency and often prefer autonomy to intimate relationships.do want to be close to others but feel uncomfortable with too much closeness and tend to keep partner at arm’s length.don’t spend much time worrying about romantic relationships or about being rejected. tend not to open up to partners and are described by their partners as being ‘emotionally distant’.
evaluation
strength- supporting research there was a positive correlation between attachment type & love experiences; Securely attached adults had enduring romantic relationships, lasting on average 10 years compared to 5 year relationships for resistant types & 6 years for avoidant types. Both insecure types were vulnerable to loneliness, with resistant types being the most vulnerable. Avoidant types tended towards jealousy & fear of intimacy.means that there appears to be a consistent relationship between early attachment type and later, adult styles of romantic love supporting the concept of the internal working model.
limitation- methodology flawed as use interviews/questionairres which is done far after infancy when ptpts recall my not be accurate.validity if questionnaires and interviews is limited because they depend on respondents being honest and having a realistic view of their own relationships.as a result lacks validity because it relies on accurate recollections that can be difficult to access and therefore the influence of attachment on adult relationships may not be accurate.
general evaluation
influence of infant attachment on future relationships is deterministic because it suggests that IWMs predict that attachment type in infancy is usually the same as the attachment type in future relationships. However, it is not a cause and effect relationship, people are not always doomed to always have bad relationships because they had attachment problems during childhood. This limits the value of the IWM as a mechanism that affects later relationships.
continuity hypothesis has practical applications for social work.Research demonstrates that institutionalised women had difficulties parenting and their children were also more likely to be in care. There is potential for social works to provide support and education to mothers with poor quality attachments to assist in improving attachments with their own children and preventing institutionalisation. means that the IWM and continuity has both practical and economic benefits