Discuss the influences of childhood on adult relationships

This theory can be supported though by Fraley, who conducted a meta-analysis and found correlations between attachment type and later relationships. This supports the theory which suggests that there is a link between the two things. However, studies with correlation can’t be proven as it’s impossible to establish cause and effect, meaning that insecure attachment may be due to temperament or other factors.

Another study that supports this theory is Morrison. They asked US college students to complete a questionnaire describing their most recent relationship, and their attachment type was assessed. They found that insecurely attached participants described more hostility in their relationships, and securely attached described more independence. This supports as it shows that having a secure attachment in childhood leads to functional adult relationships, better than those of other attachment types. However there are ethical issues with this research as some of it can be socially sensitive. They may not be protected from harm if there was evidence of abuse in a past relationship then the participant may be asked to think back to, also for reasons like this there would be issues with privacy, as any leaked details may be dangerous for such participant and lead to more possible harm.

Another influence that can affect our adult relationships is our interactions with peers. Nangle claimed that childhood friendships are training grounds for adult relationships and that close friendships are characterised by trust, affection and alliance, the experience includes all characteristics that are important in a future romantic relationship. Madsen tested the effects of dating behaviour in adolescence on young adult relationships and found that moderate/low dating frequency predicted higher quality young adult relationships. And that heavy dating predicted poorer quality relationships. This suggests that some dating in adolescence is advantageous but too much can be maladaptive.

Simpson conducted research to support this with a longitudinal study over 25 years with 78 participants at 4 key life stages; infancy, early childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The findings supported the claim that expressions of emotions in adult romantic relationships could be related back to early attachment experiences. This study has a high external validity as a longitudinal study allows researchers to observe changes in behaviour first hand, rather than relying on a retrospective view.

Another criticism can be suggested by Neeman who found that although research suggests adolescent relationships can be healthy for adulthood, it can negatively affect adult life. He found that romantic involvement in early and middle adolescence was associated with a decrease in academic performance and an increase in behavioural problems. This criticises Madsen as it suggests that it’s the timing of romantic relationships in adolescence that determines what influence they will have, not the idea of whether they do or don’t date in adolescence.

Many studies conducted on childhood and the influence of it on adult relationships are conducted in the US, this means we can’t necessarily apply them to other collectivist cultures that experience childhood and adolescence differently than to those in western cultures. This suggests that the research is culturally biased and therefore is not a universal explanation and cannot be generalised.