Bowlby's theory Flashcards
Bowlby proposed an evolutionary explanation that…
Attachment is an innate system that gives a survival advantage
Bowlbys theory is what?
Monotropic
What is meant by ‘monotropic’?
Emphasis is placed on a child’s attachment to ONE particular caregiver
Bowlby referred to this person as ‘mother’ - doesn’t have to be a biological mother or even a woman
He believed the more time a baby spent with this ‘mother figure’ (primary attachment) the better
What are Bowlby’s two main reasons?
- The law of continuity
- The law of accumulated separation
Describe what is meant by ‘the law of continuity’
The more constant a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment
Describe what is meant by ‘the law of accumulated separation’
The effects of every separation add up, so “the safest dose is therefore a zero dose
What does Bowlby mean by the term ‘social releasers’?
Bowlby suggested that babies are born with a set of innate ‘cute’ behaviours (smiling, cooing, gripping) to encourage attention from adults
These were called social releasers - their purpose is to activate adult social interaction
Bowlby recognised that attachment was a reciprocal process - both mother and baby are ‘hard wired’ to become attached
Describe Bowlby’s ideas of a critical period
Bowlby proposed that there is a critical period around 6 months where the infant attachment system is active
He viewed it as more of a sensitive period (maximum sensitivity between 6 months and possibly up to 2 years)
If an attachment is not formed in this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later
What is the IWM?
Internal Working Model
What does the IWM refer to?
The IWM serves as a ‘template’ for what relationships are meant to be like
Bowlby proposed that the child forms a mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure
A child whose first experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to form an expectation that all relationships are as loving and reliable, and they will bring these qualities to future relationships
A child whose first experience involves poor treatment will tend to form further poor relationships
The internal working model may also affect the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves
Give 2 strengths of Bowlby’s theory
- Support for social releasers
Brazelton et al. (1975) instructed primary attachment figures to ignore the babies’ social releasers (eg. still face experiment)
The babies became distressed and some eventually curled up and lay motionless
This supports Bowlby’s ideas about the significance of infant social behaviour and the role of social releasers in emotional development - Support for IWM
The IWM predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed from one generation to the next
Bailey et al (2007) studied 99 mothers
They measured the mothers attachment to their own primary attachment figures (their parents) and the attachment quality of their babies
They found that mothers with poor attachment to their own parents were more likely to have poorly attached one-year olds
