Discuss the influence of childhood on adult relationships

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  • Created by: Kelsie
  • Created on: 30-05-14 12:18
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  • Discuss the influence of childhood on adult relationships
    • 3
      • Early relationships w/ peers = influence later adult relationships
      • Close childhood friendships = categorised by affection/alliance/intimacy
        • Having friends to confide in = creates trust/acceptance - important in adult relationships
    • 7
      • Temperament hypothesis - alternative explanation = quality of relationship determined biologically by innate personality factors
        • suggests attachment style irrelevant = attempts to develop better relationship by changing attachment = pointless
    • 2
      • Childs internal working model - can lead to attachment disorder
        • If experienced abuse/neglect in childhood
          • Can result in resting/rejecting intimacy in adult relationships
    • 8
      • Methodological problem - studies highly selective = usually participant from one school/city is US.
        • Means studies not representative of adolescence in other area/cultures
          • studies lack internal validity - difficult to generalise findings to people outside participant sample
    • 4
      • In adolescence - attachment shifts from parents to peers
        • shift = redirect interpersonal energy to romantic partner
          • early romantic relationships = adolescence gain experience for new emotional/physical intimacy
            • However, Madsen found: adolescence who date frequently = poorer quality relationships = too much adolescence dating can be maladaptive
    • 6
      • However, could be viewed attachment type determined by current relationship + childhood attachment
        • Shows why happily married couples are secure
      • Attachment theory suggest - significant relationship experiences can alter attachment organisation
        • supported by finding: relationships break up associated with shift from secure to insecure attachment
    • 1
      • Behaviour of primary attachment figure = internal working model - leads infant to expect the same in later life
      • Expectations of later relationships = continuation of early attachment styles
      • Sexual expectations also learned in early attachment = avoidant attachment - sex without love.
    • 9
      • Research doesn't take into account gender differences
        • e.g. male + female peer groups have different influences on adult relationships
          • girls peer groups more influential on adult relationships than boys
    • 5
      • Freley support link between early attachment styles + success in adult relationships
        • Meta-analysis. found: correlations from 0.1-0.5 between attachment type + later romantic relationships = strong link
          • Link between some attachment types (insecure-anxious) + adult relationships = less clear =  suggests some attachment types more unstable overtime.

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