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Attachment in Childhood and Romantic Relationships

Attachment is the dynamic and continuous relationship between a child and its primary caregiver. The attachment theory was suggested by John Bowlby in 1951. His theory went on to  become one of the most influential theories in understanding children’s emotional and social development as well as adult love relationships. Attachment is the key to a child’s mental and social development and to a certain degree predicts the child’s relationship with other people in the future. In this blogpost, I will examine the role of attachment in childhood and its subsequent effects in later life. 

Bowlby argued that the lack of a continuous and secure relationship between a child and its primary caregiver within the critical period can impact a child’s later social relationships. He argued that attachment can be understood within an evolutionary context in that the caregiver provides the infant with security and safety. Attachment is adaptive as it enhances the infant’s chance of survival. This theory suggests that there is a critical period for developing an attachment (about 0- 5 years).  Bowlby believed that it is imperative for an infant to develop an attachment with their caregiver. If not, the infant will suffer from irreversible developmental consequences such as increased aggression. He also believed that there is an existing continuity between the relationships that a child has during their childhood and the relationships during their adult life. In other words, the early attachment patterns that a child develops with the patterns continue to influence later relationships because they create an internal working model.  This internal working model is a mental template of future relationships influenced by the type of attachment that an infant experiences which creates a consistency between early emotional experiences and later relationships. 

The sensitivity of the caregiver directly influences the child’s attachment type, and consequently impacts the subsequent relationships that the child forms. Ainsworth et al. (1978) divided 'attachment' into three categories. “Secure attachment”, where the infant feels comfortable enough to explore freely while the caregiver is present. “Insecure avoidant” where the child exhibits behavior that is indifferent to anyone present. Lastly, “Insecure resistant”, refers to a child who is anxious with when a stranger is around despite the caregiver being present.  The attachment patterns in the early stages of one’s life can be seen to have an effect on one’s later romantic love attachment through the internal working model, which conceptualizes different beliefs about love. Hazan and Shaver were one of the first researchers who tested Bowlby's attachment theory. The researchers designed a study to see if there was a correlation between the history of an infant's attachment and their future approach to romantic relationships. The researchers developed a 'love quiz' experiment. 620 participants participated in this experiment and the researchers observed that those who had a positive attachment history as infants tended to have longer lasting relationships. On the other hand, people who were insecurely attached as infants had unstable relationships as adults. The researchers observed that ‘secure’ lovers described their romantic relationships as trusting, happy, and friendly. ‘Insecure avoidant’ lovers were characterised by fear of intimacy, emotional high and lows and jealousy. Lastly, ‘insecure resistant’ lovers believed romantic love is characterised by obsession, emotional highs and lows, extreme sexual attraction, and jealousy. The results of this study supported 3 different attachment styles found in adult love and confirmed Bowlby’s theory and inner working model. 

Although this study was beneficial in terms of studying the association between attachment and later romantic relationships, it failed to acknowledge individual differences observed in infants and adults. Furthermore, as this study had a biased self-selected sample therefore the results cannot be generalised to target population. More females than males responded therefore there was potential for gender bias. 

Although effects of early attachment on subsequent formation of relationships cannot be clearly determined and are based primarily on hypotheses, models, and theories, much of the research conducted in this field has supported similar patterns and therefore can explain the role of attachment in childhood on future relationships to some extent. The debate is not whether or not there is a link, instead it’s focus is on how strong and reliable the link is. In general, a supportive family environment will lead to happier, more well-adjusted adults who will have happier, more well-adjusted relationships. 











References 
Ainsworth, M. S., M. C. Blehar, E. Waters and S. Wall (1978), Patterns of attachment: A  psychological study of the StrangeSituation, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Bowlby J. (1969). Attachment. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Loss. New York: Basic Books.

Hazan, C. and P. R. Shaver (1987), 'Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–24

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