Bowlby's Monotropic Theory

Question 1

What is Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 1

• Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment states that infants have one primary bond.
  -Usually the person they have this bond with is their biological mother.
  -Bowlby says this is due to an instinct that humans have due to evolutionary adaptation. The bond forms over a 3-6 month period which is called the ‘critical period’. If the bond is not formed during this critical period, then the child may find it harder to form attachments in the future.
• Bowlby also states that babies have social releasers which encourage caregiving behaviour towards them such as looking cute. -
• This first bond provides an internal working model which in later life forms the basis of peer, romantic and family relationships.

Question 2

A03 - Research Support

Answer 2

• Hazan & Shaver found a strong correlation between adult and infant attachment type as measured by questionnaires.
• For example, those securely attached as children tended to have a
  lasting belief in love as adults.
  -Whilst the use of questionnaires to measure a complex phenomenon
  such as attachment may have low validity, Black & Schutte (2006) have used better measures such as the Adult Attachment Interview, and they have found similar results.
  -Hence, research generallymsupports the continuity hypothesis because there is a link between early and later attachments.

Question 3

A03 - Critical Period Doesn’t exist

Answer 3

• Researchers now prefer the term ‘sensitive period.’
• According to Bowlby it should not be possible to form attachments beyond the critical period.
• It actually seems that strong attachments can be formed after this period though it is less likely.
• The early developmental window Bowlby referred to is one where children are maximally receptive to the formation of attachments, nevertheless such attachments can take place outside this window as shown through Romanian orphans’ research.
• This questions the fixed nature of the critical period as described by Bowlby.

Question 4

A03 - Infant Temprament

Answer 4

• Kagan’s view is that attachment can actually be explained in terms of infant behaviours.
• He proposes that an infant’s innate emotional personality may explain attachment behaviour.
• Infants who have an ‘easy’ temperament are more likely to become strongly attached because it is easier to interact with them whereas those who are ‘difficult’ tend to be insecurely attached.

-There is research support for this - Belsky and Rovine (1987) found that infants between one and three days old who had signs of behavioural instability were later judged to be more likely to have developed an insecure attachment.