Hazan & Shaver (1987) - Romantic Love & Early Attachments

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  • Created by: KarenL78
  • Created on: 22-11-17 13:51

Overview / Aim / Hypotheses:

  • Researchers were interested in examining the idea that early attachment styles would be reflected in adult romantic relationships, as predicted by Bowlby.

AIM:

  • To explore the possibility that attachment theory offers a perspective on adult romantic love and to create a framework for understanding love, loneliness and grief at different points in the life cycle.

HYPOTHESES:

  • It was predicted that:

1. There would be a correlation between adults' attachment styles and the type of parenting they received.

2.  Adults with different attachment styles will display different characteristic mental models (internal representations) of themselves and their major social-interaction partners.

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Method & Results:

  • Respondents to a "love quiz" in a local newspaper were asked which of 3 descriptions best applied to their inner feelings about romantic relationships.  These descriptions related to secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachments.
  • Participants also completed a checklist describing childhood relationships with parents, relating to the same attachment types.  Two separate samples were tested.
  • Sample 1:  205 men and 415 women between 14 - 82 years of age.  91% described themselves as heterosexual.  42% married.  28% divorced/widowed. 9% co-habiting. 31% dating.  Some fitted more than 1 category.
  • Sample 2:  108 students (38 men and 70 women) who answered additional items focusing more on the "self" side of the mental model as opposed to their partner, as well as items measuring lonliness.

RESULTS:

Securely Attached:  56% of BOTH samples.

Insecure-Avoidant:  Sample 1 - 23%.   Sample 2 -25%.

Insecure-Resistant:  Sample 1 - 19%.  Sample 2 - 20%.

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Results Cont & Conclusions:

  • In both samples, those described as securely attached described the most important love relationship they ever had as "happy, friendly and trusting".  These participants had longer lasting relationships and if they married tended not to divorce.
  • Securely attached participants expressed belief in lastinglove.  They found others trustworthy and had confidence in their self as likeable.
  • Insecure-Avoidant participants were more doubtful about the existance or durability of romantic love.  Also maintained they didn't need love partners to be happy.
  • Insecure-Avoidant participants expressed more self-doubts, compared with otehr types, but compared with the insecure-resistant paticipants didn't repress feelings of security.
  • Both insecure types were vulnerable to loneliness with Insecure-Resistant being the most vulnerable.

CONCLUSIONS:

  • Percentages of adults in the different attachment types match those of the children in Ainsworth's ** studies.
  • Correlation between adults' attachment style and their memories of parenting style they received is similar to Ainsworth's findings, where children's attachment styles were correlated with the degree of sensitivity shown by mothers.
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Conclusions Cont. / Evaluation:

  • Adults mental models differ according to attachment styles.
  • Securelay attached are more positive and optimistic about themselves and potential love partners, compared with either insecurely attached types.
  • People with insecure attachments are vulnerable to loneliness.

EVALUATION:

  • Researchers provided a typical account of the processes involved in romantic attachment and an understanding of individual differences in adult relationship styles, as well as a connection between infant attachment theory and theories of romantic love, which stimulated research in the area.
  • Research showed continuity of childhood attachment style into adulthood doesn't always occur i.e. insecurely attached children don't necessarily become insecurely attached adults.
  • Continuity decreases as individuals progress further into adulthood.  
  • Average person participates in several important friendships and love relationships, providing opportunities for revising mental models of self and others.  
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Evaluation Cont:

  • Main et al (1985) support this optimistic view, finding that some adults insecure in relationships with parents produced securely attached children.  They had mentally worked through their unpleasant experiences and now had mental models of relationships more typical of the securely attached.
  • Attachment types identified in the ** only relate to the quality of relationship with one person.  Therefore an adult's choice of paragraph describing their attachment style might only relate to their current relationship.
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Hazan & Shaver's Attachment Styles (1):

  • Hazan & Shaver (1987), using a self-report measure, attempted to find out whether attachment patterns in adults correlate with their patterns in chidhood.
  • They found that secure adults typically enjoy closeness and do not worry about rejection; anxious-ambivalent adults often preferred excessive closeness and were concerned about rejection; avoidant adults dislike closeness and do not like to be dependent on others.
  • They concluded that the IWM is pervasive and sets the style for behaviours in adult life.  These styles are outside of conscious awareness and are assimilated and established behaviours.
  • From this research, they proposed 4 attachment styles:

1. Positive internal model of self:  

correlates to secure attachment based on love.

2. Negative internal model of self:  

correlates with anxious-avoidant attachments with a lack of love.

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Hazan & Shaver's Attachment Styles (2):

3. Negative internal model of self combined with a positive internal model of others: 

correlates with preoccupied and neurotic attachments.

4. Positive internal model of self combined with a negative internal model of others: 

correlates with dismissive-avoidant behaviours. 

  • This model has a distict flavour of pyschodynamics with its emphasis on the parent-child relationship and unconscious processes.
  • The implication that everyone is driven to form an attachment and attachments only change in their quality from one person to another.
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