attachment- explanations of attachment: Bowlby's theory Flashcards
what was bowlby’s theory called?
monotropic theory, Bowlby (1958, 1969)
what is monotropy?
having a primary attachment figure
monotropic theory
-described as monotropic bc emphasis on the child’s attachment to one caregiver (mono= ‘one’ and tropic= ‘leaning towards’)
-this attachment is different from others and more important
-believed more time a baby spent with this primary attachment figure/mother-figure (not necessarily bio mother, or female) the better. There are two main reasons:
- (1) Law of continuity - the more constant a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment.
- (2) Law of accumulated separation - the effects of every separation add up. so, ‘the safest dose is therefore a zero dose’.
monotropic theory: babies born with social releasers
-babies born with a set if innate ‘cute’ behaviours (e.g. smiling, cooing, gripping) that encourage attention from adults
-purpose of these social releasers is to activate adult social interaction (i.e. make an adult attach to the baby)
-Bowlby recognised that attachment is a reciprocal system
monotropic theory: critical period
-critical period of about two years when the infant attachment system is active
-viewed this as more of a sensitive period
-child is maximally sensitive at 6 months, may extend to up to 2 years. if attachment has not formed intros time, child will find it much harder to form one later
monotropic theory: first attachment forms an internal working model of relationships
-child forms a mental representation (internal working model) of the relationship with primary attachment figure
-serves as a template for what relationships are like
-child whose first experience is a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to form an expectation that all relationships are loving and reliable
-a child whose first relationship involves poor treatment may expect such treatment from others
-internal working model may also affect the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves.
ao3 of Bowlby’s theory: monotropy lacks validity
-relationship with primary attachment figure may simply be stronger than other attachments, rather than different in quality
-other family members may well develop attachments with baby that have the same qualities, e.g comfort and secure base from which to explore
-means Bowlby may have been wrong to suggest there’s a unique quality to a child’s primary attachment
ao3 of Bowlby’s theory: evidence supporting role of social releasers
-Brazelton et al. (1975) instructed primary attachment figures to ignore their babies’ social releasers.
-babies (who were previously shown to be normally responsive)initially showed some distress but eventually curled up and lay motionless
-supports idea that social releasers play an important role in attachment development
ao3 of Bowlby’s theory: evidence support for idea of the internal working model
-IWM predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed from one generation to the next
-Bailey et al. (2007) studied 99 mothers. those w/poor attachment to their own parents were more likely to have 1yr olds who were poorly attached
-supports IWM as it’s being passed through families
