Bowlby's monotropic theory Flashcards
what theory did Bowlby reject
He rejected the learning theory as an explanation for attachment because he says that if it’s true an infant of 1-2 years old should take food from whoever feeds them and they don’t so the theory must not be right
What did he propose instead of this
he proposed an evolutionary explanation, that attachment was an innate system that gives a survival advantage.
what are the two principles involved in monotropy
1) the law of continuity stated that the more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of their attachment
2) the law of accumulated separation stated that the effects of every separation from the mother add up and the safest dose is therefore a zero dose
what social releasers do babies have
smiling, cooing and gripping
what is the purpose of the social releasers
their purpose is to activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attach to the baby
what does Bowlby say the critical period is
he says that it is around six months when the infant attachment system is active and it extends to age two but if not formed by then it will be much harder to later
what is the internal working model
the internal working model is that a child forms a mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure
what is likely to be the future outcome for a child within their relationships if they grew up with a loving and reliable caregiver
they are likely to bring these qualities into their future relationships
what is a limitation of Bowlby’s theory of monotropy
the concept lacks validity, Schaffer and Emerson were who contradict this
what is the support for social releasers
there is clear evidence that babies behaviour is designed to elicit interaction from caregivers
support for the internal working model
Heidi Bailey et al (2007) assessed attachment relationships in 99 mothers and their one-year-old babies, they found that mothers with poor attachments to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies
However, there are probably other important influences on social development therefore Bowlby may have overstated the importance of the internal working model in social behaviour and parenting at the expense of other factors
