Bowlby's Monotropic Theory Flashcards
What was John Bowlby’s explanation for attachment?
In 1988, he rejected the learning theory as an explanation for attachment. Instead, he believed that attachment is something we are born with - an innate system.
Why is Bowlby’s theory described as monotropic?
He placed great emphasis on a child’s attachment to one particular caregiver - hence mono. He believed the mother is the primary attachment figure.
What is the law of continuity?
The more consistent and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment.
What is the law of accumulated separation?
The effects of every separation from the mother add up and ‘the safest dose is therefore a zero dose’.
What are social releasers?
Bowlby suggested that babies are born with natural ‘cute behaviours’, which make adults want to pay attention to them. He called these social releasers because they encourage adults to interact with the baby and form an attachment.
Why did Bowlby recognise attachment as reciprocal?
Both the baby and the caregiver are naturally built to form an attachment with each other.
When is the critical period when a baby’s ability to form an attachment is strongest?
Aged 6 months, and it may last up to age two.
What did Bowlby say happens if an attachment isn’t formed during the critical period?
It becomes much harder for the child to form attachments later in life.
What is the internal working model?
Bowlby proposed that the child’s relationship with their primary attachment figure serves as a model for what relationships are like. It also affects a childs later ability to be a parent themselves.
What is a limitation of Bowlby’s theory?
The concept of monotropy lacks validity.
Why does the concept of monotropy lack validity?
Schaffer and Emerson found that some babies form multiple attachments at the same time, and also that attachments to other family members can also provide key benefits, just like the primary attachment does.
This suggests that Bowlby may be wrong in saying that primary attachments are uniquely more important than other attachments. §
What evidence is there to support the role of social releasers?
Brazelton et al observed that babies trigger interactions with adults using social releasers. The researchers then asked the caregiver to ignore these behaviours. The babies, who were usually responsive, became more distressed, and some even curled up and stopped moving.
How did Brazelton et al’s research support Bowlby’s theory?
The study supports the ideas that social releasers play an important role in emotional development and suggests they are crucial for forming attachments.
What evidence to support the internal working model?
Heidi Bailey et al studied 99 mothers and their 1 year old babies, measuring the mothers’ attachment to their own parents and the attachemnt quality of their babies. They found that mothers with poor attachments to their own parents were more likely to have poorly attached babies.
How does Heidi Bailey et al’s research support Bowlby’s theory?
This supports Bowlby’s idea that the mothers’ ability to form attachments with their babies is influenced by their internal working models, which are shaped by their early attachment experiences.
