Does adult attachment depend on, or is tied to, or is based on childhood attachment?
The behavioral attachment system provides a theoretical linkage between a model of human development and logical theories of emotions and personality (John Bowlby, 1958).
Hazen and Shaver (1987) stated that both infant and caregiver and adult’s romantic relationships share same motivational system and attachment behavior structure. Hazen and Shaver also noted that both infant and adult individuals feel secure in attachment figure’s presence and show intimacy by facial features, bodily contact, and exploration in existence and insecurity in absence.
There are several factors that, predict either adult attachment depend, tied or depend upon childhood attachment. Firstly, it depends on individual’s relationships and factors and occasions that contribute to functioning relationships. Secondly, adult’s social, interpersonal relationships also influence on their adult attachments. For instance, if they tend to be secure, confident and supported by the partner, they might have experienced secure attachment with their caregiver.
Moreover, it is an empirically evidenced in “adult attachment theory” that, adult romantic relationship share same attachment style of their infants if their romantic relationships are right attachment relationships. It is also a possibility that, adult attachment relationships might only have a partial reflection of their infant’s attachment styles either secure or insecure. Therefore, adult’s relationships and infant-caregiver relationships should share the same process of exploration both in adulthood and infancy.
However, the stability of attachment styles is controversial, because children with secure attachment may show avoidant attachment style after experiencing some distressing events such as divorce, separation, etc. Although, social and cognitive mechanisms imply stability as rule rather than expectation in relationships and these mechanisms also serve as a predictor of continuity and discontinuity of relationships under any circumstances. (Fraley, 2002).
Reference
B, J., (1958). Attachment theory. Retrieved on 26 February from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html
Hazen, C. & Shaver, P., (1987). Retrieved on 26 February, from
https://public.psych.iastate.edu/ccutrona/psych592a/articles/Hazan_and_Shaver_1987.pdf
R, C, F., (2002). A brief overview of adult attachment theory and research. University of
Illinois Retrieved on 26 February from
https://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/attachment.htm
