A-Level Psychology (AQA)

Topic Summaries

Attachment

Influence of early attachment

  • Bowlby proposed that the internal working model acts as a cognitive schema for future relationships. A child who experiences a loving and reliable caregiver relationship forms a positive internal working model, expecting similar relationships in the future, while a child with an insecure attachment may expect rejection or untrustworthiness, leading to difficulties.
  • Evidence supporting this continuity hypothesis includes the 👥 Hazan and Shaver (1987) ‘Love Quiz’ in which researches posted an ad in a US newspaper asking adults about their childhood attachment and current romantic experiences. They found that secure adults reported longer-lasting relationships, insecure-avoidant adults were more likely to fear intimacy, and insecure-resistant adults were more prone to jealousy. This suggests that early attachment influences adult romantic behaviour.
  • Research also links childhood attachment to peer relationships: 👥 Myron- Wilson and Smith (1998) found that securely attached children were least likely to be involved in bullying, while insecure-resistant children were more likely to be bullies, and insecure-avoidant children more likely to be victims.
    • Many studies are correlational, meaning that attachment type and later relationships are associated but causality cannot be established. Other factors like temperament or life experiences may play a more significant role.
    • Research relies on retrospective self-reports which may be inaccurate.
    • The theory has been criticised as overly deterministic, suggesting that early attachment fixes later outcomes, whereas evidence shows that insecurely attached individuals can still go on to form stable adult relationships.

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