Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Flashcards
What is Bowlby’s monotropic theory
This theory believes that attachment behaviours serve as en evolutionary advantage and are coded in our genetic structure. This theory believes nature not nurture.
According to this theory, attachment is a set of behaviours that have aided our survival and allowed our genes to continue
What did Bowbly suggest about infants??
It is important for infants to have and maintain one specific primary attachment figure whom they have a close bond with. Usually this is the mother, although this is not essential. Bowlby saw the need for a baby to spend as much time with the primary caregiver as possible.
A reason for this being 2 key principles:
- law of continuity stating that more time the baby spent with the caregiver and the more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment they will form
- law of accumulated separation saying every separation the caregiver has can add up and therefore the safest number of these is a zero
What are the key features of Bowbly’s monotropic theory??
1- attachment is monotropic = monotropic is a preference for one person, the caregiver. The idea is that infants have on primary attachment that is more important than all other secondary attachments
2- monotropic attachment is innate and adaptive = we have an innate drive to form an attachment, babies are born with instincts and parents possess similar instincts to ensure attachments takes place
Attachment is therefore an adaptive trait since it has evolutionary advantages as it increases the likelihood of survival and ultimately reproduction and continuation of genes
What are the 3 other most key feature of this theory??
3- according to Bowlby, infants use social releasers to elicit caregiving and devil monotropic attachments = crying, mutual gazing, cuddling or babbling
4- the monotropic attachment has a critical period. This is a window of development when an infant is most easily and quickly able to form an attachment. The critical period is the first 3 years to avoid negative consequences which can be affection less psychopathy and developmental retardation
5- monotropic attachment forms our internal working model. This is an individual’s template for all future relationships based on their first monotropic attachment relationship. It is an internalised concept about how relationships work and can romantic/friendships/ how you raise your own children.
What is the continuity hypothesis??
Suggests that there is a clearer link between early attachment in infancy and later emotional behaviour when becoming children and adults
What are the strengths of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment??
Research support
Practical applications
What are the weakness of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment??
- studies have poor generalisation
- contradicting evidence
- alternative explanations
