Bowlby's monotropic theory

Question 1

Outline Bowlby’s monotropic theory.

Answer 1

Attachment is innate and adapted as it has evolutionary advantage as it led to survival.
SCMI (Snap Chat Makes Images)

Monotropy: one main attachment

Law of continuity: the more consistent the care the better quality the attachment

Law of accumulated separation: the effects of every separation add up

Social releasers: innate cute behaviours that elicit care e.g., smiling

Critical period: 6 months -> 2.5 years

Internal working model: primary attachment leads to a model/schema for future relationships

Question 2

What are the strengths of monotropic theory?

Answer 2

+ Research support:
babies become upset when attachment figure ignores social releasers e.g. still face experiment
+Research support- IWM: Bailey – assessed attachment in 99 mothers to their one-year-old.
Findings: attachment is inter-generational as the mothers who had a poor attachment to their own mother also had a poor attachment to their child.

Question 3

What are the weaknesses of monotropic theory?

Answer 3

-Counterpoint: Shaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment showed 27% of children formed a secure attachment to both the mother and father.

• Counterpoint: the theory is gender biased because it suggests if women go back to work it will be detrimental to the child (law of accumulated separation)
• Counterpoint: Bowlby overemphasised the role of the IWM because people can have a bad or good IWM and still form relationships of varying quality. Also there are genetic and neural factors.