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| Chapter 12: Psychoanalysis after Freud: The Neo-Freudians, Object Relations, and Empirical Evidence |
Below is the Adult Attachment Scale that appears in your textbook.
Recall from earlier discussions on genetics the notion of shared family environment (the idea that the environment a family shares does not affect psychological development in any important way). Do you think that Bowlby's theory would support this idea? In other words, according to Bowlby, what happens in a family that is important for child development? Is it the family environment that all siblings share? Or not? And, if not, what is important?
Use Bowlby's attachment theory to derive your own hypothesis, and put it to the test!
If you have siblings, give the Adult Attachment Scale to them. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, or if you do not have siblings, find someone who does (a friend or family member), and give this scale to the brothers and sisters within a family (preferably brothers and sisters who share the same biological parents). The more groups of siblings the better (to increase your sample size)! Compare their attachment styles to each other. Are they the same or are they different?
Which of these three best describes your feelings?
- I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it difficult to trust them completely, difficult to allow myself to depend on them. I am nervous when anyone gets too close, and often, love partners want me to be more intimate than I feel comfortable being.
- I find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I often worry that my partner doesn't really love me or won't want to stay with me. I want to get very close to my partner, and this sometimes scares people away.
- I find it relatively easy to get close to others and am comfortable depending on them. I don't often worry about being abandoned or about someone getting too close to me.
Key:
If #1 describes your feelings, you are avoidant
If #2 describes your feelings, you are anxious-ambivalent
If #3 describes your feelings, you are secure
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Calculate the percent of siblings within a family that has the same attachment style. Alternatively, within each family you can compare all possible pairs and give the pair a 1 if they have the same attachment style, and a 0 if they have different attachment styles. In either case you can calculate an average and a standard deviation for your sample. After you have collected your data and analyzed your results, explain them using Bowlby's theory. Share your hypothesis and results with your professor for feedback.
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