Attachment - Bowlby's theory

Question 1

What did Bowlby (1988) believe attachment was?

Answer 1

An innate system that gives a survival advantage

Question 2

What did attachment evolve as?

Answer 2

A mechanism to keep young animals safe by ensuring they stay close to adult caregivers

Question 3

What is Bowlby’s theory described as?

Answer 3

Monotropic because he placed great emphasis on a child’s attachment to one particular caregiver

Question 4

What did Bowlby believe?

Answer 4

That the child’s attachment to this one caregiver is more important and different to others

Question 5

What does the law of continuity state that?

Answer 5

The more constant and prredictable a child’s care, the better the quality of their attachment

Question 6

What does the law of accumulated seperation state that?

Answer 6

The effects of every seperation from the mother add up “and the safest dose is therefore a 0 dose” (Bowlby 1975)

Question 7

What does Bowlby suggest that babies are born with?

Answer 7

Set of innate “cute” behaviours that encourage attention from adults

Question 8

What is the purpose of social releasers?

Answer 8

To activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attach to the baby

Question 9

What did Bowlby recognise the attachment being?

Answer 9

Reciprocal

Question 10

What is the critical period when the infant attachment system is active?

Answer 10

6 months to 2 years old

Question 11

What does Bowlby propose that a child forms?

Answer 11

An internal working model which is a mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure

Question 12

What will a child’s first experience of a loving relationship tend to form?

Answer 12

An expectation that all relationships are as loving and reliable and they will bring these qualities into future relationships

Question 13

What does the internal working model also affect?

Answer 13

The child’s later ability to be a parent themselves

Question 14

What is one limitation of Bowlby’s theory?

Answer 14

Validity of monotropy challenged

Question 15

What is the evaluation of Bowlby’s theory having validity of monotropy challenged?

Answer 15

P: Concept of monotropy lacks validity
E: Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that a significant minority formed multiple attachments at the same time
E: The first attachment means it is stronger, not necessarily different in quality from the other attachments
L: Bowlby may be incorrect that there is a unique quality to the child’s primary attachment

Question 16

What is one strength of Bowlby’s theory?

Answer 16

Support for social releasers

Question 17

What is the evaluation of Bowlby’s theory having support for social releasers?

Answer 17

P: Evidence supporting the role of social releasers
E: Brazleton (1975) observed babies trigger interactions with adults using social releasers
E: Researchers instructed that the primary attachmnet figures should ignor the babies
E: This lead to the babies getting distressed
L: Social releasers are important

Question 18

What is another strength of Bowlby’s research?

Answer 18

Support for internal working model

Question 19

What is the evaluation of Bowlby’s theory having support for internal working model?

Answer 19

P: Support for the internal working model
E: Bailey (2007) assessed attachment relationships in 99 mothers and their one year old babies
E: Found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies
L: Supports Bowlby’s ideas that mother’s ability to form attachments to their babies is influenced by their internal working model