Influence of childhood attachments on adult relationships

Influence of childhood attachments on adult relationships

1. Bowlby; Internal working model - emphasises how important the relationship between an infant and their primary care giver (PCG) is. The infant learn the rules and expectations of how to act and what to expect in relationships from the way that the PCG interacts and threats the infant. If the PCG offers sensitive emotional care to the infant they are likely to have learnt good relationship rules and expectations. If the PCG offers poor care the infant will learn poor relationship rules and expectations

2. Bowlby also describes that these rules and expectations will form the basis of all other relationships for ever; this is called the continutity hypothesis. A child with a good attachement at age 1 will show strong confident attachments when they are an adult. If bowlby is correct then we would expect to see an influence of childhood on adult romantic relationships

3. Ainsworth; identified that there were three main attachment types; Sucure, insecure avoidant, insecure resistant

4. Bowlbys continuity hypothesis states that securely attached children should grow up into a securely attached adult and insecurely attached children should grow up into insecurely attached adults

5. Sroufe et al. (longtitudinal) observed children from the age of 1 to 20. Found that those securely attached when children had grown up to be confident and socialable adults. Those who were insecurely attached infants grew up to be anti-social, shy, and often found it hard to relate to others. This suggests childhood attachments do indeed influence adult romantic relationships and that bowlbys continuity hypothesis is correct

6. Hazan and Shaver; participants were recruited through an advert in a newspaper. Participants completed two questionaires; the first focused on the type of attachment they had as a child and the second focused on the romantic relationships they had as an adult. The results showed that adults who had been securely attached infants found it easier to hey closer to others. They also did not worry about being abandoned or getting 'too close'. Adults who had been insecure-avoidant children were uncompfortable getting close to others, found it difficult to to be intimate with partners. Adults who reported they had been insecure-resistant infants were reluctant to get close to to others. They were also worried their partners would leave. They also sometimes wanted to get far too close to others whih had scared partners away

7. Brennan and Shaver; Found that adults who were avoidant as children were much more likely to engage in uninhibited sexual encounters, e.g. one night stands

8. Rutter et al. Found that individuals who had not been able to establish secure attachments to their parents went on to establish secure adult relationships. Suggesting that attachment in childhood does not predict the attachment of an adult

9. Idea is deterministic and ignores the role that free will plays in human behaviour

10. Idea is reductionist as it suggests that there is only one factor that results in adult relationships. There is research to show attachment style can change