Discuss the Influence of Childhood on Adult Relationships

treat the influence of babyhood on liberal family relationships. (24 Marks) Many bond certificate psychologists argue that proterozoic relationships with our primary sellgivers provide the foundation for afterward mature relationships. Bowlby called this the continuity hypothesis. This is the claim that archean relationship experiences continue in afterward big relationships. According to the fastening theory, upstart squirtren learn an infixed working model from their outgrowth relationship with their primary carer.This is then the foundation on which they consider what is acceptable in incoming relationships and whether they are able to aver or rely other souls (based on preconceptions from previous relationships). Young tikeren also wax characteristic attachment styles in their other(a) relationships which influence later relationships by providing the child with beliefs about themselves, other people and relationships in general. There are several attachme nt styles that a child fag end originate in infancy.Ainsworth (1971) divided these into secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant, when working on her Strange Situation research. The characteristics we associate with attachment styles will provide a child with a set of beliefs about themselves and the spirit of relationships with others. These attachment styles move be seen as a indicator of the nature of their rising adult relationships. For example, someone who is securely prone as a child can expect to reserve similar relationships passim life.There is research bread and exclusivelyter the influence of puerility on adult relationship, such(prenominal) as the longitudinal study performed by Simpson et al (2007). It was carried out on on a aggroup of individuals from childishness into their twenties. Individuals previously tagged as securely attached were more than adapted of socialising, developed secure friendships and had positive stirred up experiences o n a regular basis, supporting the hypothesis. This shows that our attachment as children, and our developed internal working model influence our adult relationships greatly.A nonher study that proves this hypothesis was performed by choirmaster and S occupyr (1981). They devised a love examine in a local newspaper, communicate readers to describe their feelings and experiences about romantic relationships and their puerility relationships with parents. They found a strong correlation coefficient between childhood and adult relationship patterns for example, insecure-avoidant types doubted the existence of love, feared closeness and found it intemperately to forgive insecure-resistant types were intensely emotional, jealous and mistrustful and secure types believed in love, were very swear and liked being close to others.However it is unconvincing that our attachment types as children are fixed. aliveness events, such as divorce of parents or loss of a loved one, can cause a securely attached child to become insecure, on that pointfore it is un sincereistic to severalize that our early relationships determine whether or not we clear successful long-lasting relationships. Also, this is a very deterministic view. It bring ups that we have no control over the effect our childhood has on our future and that we do not have free will. For example the supposition that because a child was abused, when they grow up they will become abusers is not only is this untrue, but it plays on the idea that we have no power over who we become. ) Relationships with comrades also have an influence on later adult relationships. Peers become more influential as a child progresses into adolescence, playing a significant role in an individual becoming an independent adult, and helping to develop social skills, including those needed for adult relationships.As juvenileage people develop into adolescents, they spend less(prenominal) time with parents and family and time w ith peers increases. They are more likely to experience self manifestation of inner feelings and secrets. Bee (1995) argues that teenagers use their peer group to make the transition from protection from the family to the real world. Interactions help to develop independence where the teen gradually attains separation from their family. This suggests how they develop a level of emotional and physical closeness different to that to which they have with their parents.However gender differences have been found in childhood relationships. enquiry has shown that girls experience more intimate peer relations than boys, and very much report feelings of care and security in their relationships with other girls. In contrast, boys peer relationships are usually more competitive. Therefore, we cannot generalise about the set up of childhood peer interactions as experiences are often very different. Also, many studies of adolescent relationships have relied on small samples from once schoo l day or city, usually in the US.A major disadvantage of such samples is that it doesnt adequately represent relationships in other areas and cultures. Therefore, it is thorny to generalise findings, especially to non-Western cultures. Overall there are many suggestions as to how childhood, (the effects of peer relationships and parent-child relationships,) can affect our future adult relationships, and although there is various exhibit supporting this, it is too reductionist to suggest that childhood experiences is the only factor that impacts contingent relationships, as there are others such as life events and environmental factors.