Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Flashcards
Why do attachments form according to Bowlby
Evolutionary reason, attachment has adaptive cause which gives survival advantage
What is monotropy
Way in which infants form one very special attachment with their mother that is more important than others
What is the critical period and what happens if attachment not formed
-from 6 months to 2 years but sensitive until five years
-if child does not form attachment during this time will face difficulties in later life socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically
What is the law of accumulated separation
That every separation adds up resulting in negative consequences
What is the law of continuity
The more continuous and predictable a child’s care the better the quality of attachment
What are social releasers
Physical and behavioural characteristics of babies which unlock an innate tendency in adults to care for baby eg physical (‘baby face’ features and body proportions) and behavioural (crying, gripping, smiling)
What is the internal working model
A mental representation of our relationship with our primary caregiver that becomes a template for future relationships, predicts how individuals will act as parents themselves
Expand on strength that there is supporting research for the role of internal working model
-bailey’s 99 mothers study, interviewed new mothers about their attachment to their own mother and then observed these mothers with their own 1yo, conducted standardised interviews about child’s attachment
-found attachment style mothers’ had as children was similar to attachment style their child now had
-supports validity of claim that IWM acts as template for future relationships
Expand on strength that there is supporting research for the role of social releases
-Brazelton’s ‘still face’ experiment found babies spontaneously produced social releases to elicit responsiveness from mothers who reported difficulty resisting giving responses and babies showed signs of distress when ignored
-supports idea of social releasers acting as an evolutionary tool to prompt caring behaviours and form attachments
Expand on limitation that approach involves socially sensitive research
-implications of law of continuity/accumulated separation place strain on women’s lifestyle choices when infants young (eg returning to work), lots of responsibility and blame placed on mothers
-must be very careful about promoting an idea that is likely to have negative social consequences
Why is attachment adaptive
As it is an innate system that provides survival advantage
