Discuss the impact of early attachment on adult relationships (12 marks)
Bowlby’s internal working model states that children use their first attachment
as a foundation for their future attachments. Therefore, children with secure
attachments will have stronger relationships later in life compared to
insecurely attached kids. If a child experiences maternal deprivation, and
does not develop an attachment with a primary caregiver, then their future
attachments will be severely damaged as they do not have the basis from
their childhood. Insecure avoidant children may struggle with intimacy and
avoid closeness in relationships. This idea is supported by Hazan and
Shaver's Love Quiz which found a strong correlation between early
attachment and adult romantic relationships. Securely attached individuals
reported long-lasting, trusting relationships, whereas insecure-avoidant
individuals struggled with closeness, and insecure-resistant individuals were
prone to jealousy. However, this research is correlational, meaning it cannot
prove that early attachment directly causes adult relationship styles-other
factors, such as life experiences or personality, may play a role.
Early attachment also influences parent-child relationships. Bailey et al.
conducted a study on 99 mothers and found that those who had secure
attachments in childhood were more likely to have securely attached children,
supporting the idea that attachment patterns are passed down through
generations. This aligns with Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis, which suggests
that early experiences shape future relationships, including parenting. A
securely attached individual is more likely to be responsive and emotionally
available to their child, fostering secure attachments in the next generation.
However, this theory may be overly deterministic, as not all individuals with
insecure attachments go on to have negative relationships. For example,
individuals who experience positive life changes, such as therapy or healthy
relationships, may develop more secure attachment styles, showing that
change is possible.
The Koluchova twins provide evidence that early attachment does not always
determine future relationships. The twins were severely neglected from
infancy until the age of 7, experiencing extreme deprivation and a lack of
human interaction. According to Bowlby’s internal working model, such early
attachment disruption should have resulted in long-term difficulties in forming
relationships. However, after being adopted into a loving family, they fully
recovered, developed secure attachments, and formed healthy adult
relationships. This suggests that early attachment is not the only factor
influencing later relationships, and positive life experiences can compensate
for early deprivation. However, their recovery might be due to individual
differences, such as resilience and intelligence, meaning not all neglected
children would develop secure relationships in adulthood. This challenges the
idea that early attachment permanently determines future relationships and
supports the view that attachment can change over time.