Influence of early attachment on later relationships

Internal working model- the mental representations we all carry with us of our attachment to our primary caregiver. they are important in affecting our future relationships because they carry our perception of what relationships are like

Bowlby's idea that the primary attachment relationship provides a template for later relationships, e.g. first experience is of loving relationship, child assumes all relationships are like this and will seek relationships like it, the opposite is true and may find it difficult to form relationships.

Relationships in later childhood-

Kerns: securely attached children have better friendships

Myron-Wilson and Smith: securely attached children less likely to be involved in bullying, insecure-avoidant most likely to be vitims and insecure-resistant most likely to be bully.

Relationships in adulthood as a parent-

people base their parenting style on their internal working model and so attachment tends to be passed on through generations of a family, Bailey et al: mother's attachment type matched that…