Influence of Early Attachment on Later Relationships

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  • Influence of early attachment on later relationships
    • Internal Working Model
      • A child having their first relationship with their primary attachment figure forms a mental representation of the relationship
      • This acts as a blueprint for future relationships
      • The blueprint will affect the nature of their future relationships
        • A child who experienced a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will assume that's how relationships are meant to be
        • A child with poor attachment will expect that of future relationships
      • Securely attached infants will seek out functional relationships and behave functionally within them
      • Poorly attached infants will struggle to form attachments the first place
    • Attachment type
      • Associated with the quality of peer relationships in childhood
      • Securely attached infants have the best quality childhood friendships. Those insecurely attached later have friendship difficulties
      • Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) looked at bullying and attachment type
        • Secure children were unlikely to be involved in bullying
        • Insecure-avoidant were most likely to be victims
        • Insecure-resistant were most likely to be bullies
    • Evidence for the effect on romantic relationships
      • McCarthy (1999) studied 40 women who had been assessed as infants to establish their early attachment type
        • Securely attached infants had the best relationships and friendships
        • Insecure-resistant had difficulty maintaining friendships
        • Insecure-avoidant had difficulty with intimacy in romantic relationships
      • Securely attached infants are more likely to have good and longer lasting relationships
      • Patterns of attachment behaviour are linked to romantic relationships
    • Effects on future parenting
      • Internal working model affects parenting ability
      • Parenting style is based on the internal working model, so attachment type is passed through family
      • Bailey et al (2007)
        • Mother-baby attachment was assessed using the strange situation
        • Mother-own-mother attachment was assessed using an adult interview
        • Majority of women had the same attachment to their infant as they did to their own mother

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