Bowlbys monotropic attachment theory Flashcards
Why did Bowlby argue attachment evolved?
It serves an important survival function - an infant who is not attached is less well protected
Why does Bowlby suggest attachments are formed in tow directions?
The parents must also be attached to their infants in order to ensure that they are cared for and survive
What are Bowlbys 4 key ideas?
- Critical period
- Social releasers
- Monotropy
- Internal working model
Why is the critical period important in forming attachments?
Babies have an innate drive to become attached - this takes place in a critical period (around 3-6 months) - children who do not have the opportunity to form an attachment during this time seem to struggle later
What did Bowlby suggest as the reason to who the infant attaches to?
Sensitivity - influenced by Ainsworth who found that the strongest attachments were with mothers who were responsive, more cooperative and more accessible
Why are social releasers important in forming attachments?
Ensure that attachments develop form parent to infant - one important mechanism to do that is social releasers such as smiling - innate mechanisms that explain how attachments to infants are formed
What is monotropy?
Infants have one special bond - the primary attachment relationship (often the mother)
-infants also form many secondary attachments that provide an important emotional safety + important for healthy psychological and social development
What as the consequences of attachment?
They create an internal working model (a mental representation)
This model has several consequences
1 - gives the child insight into the caregivers the caregivers behaviour, so a true partnership can be formed
2 - acts as a template for all future relationships because it generates expectations about intimate, loving relationships
What is an evaluation of a critical period?
Could be argued to instead be a sensitive period instead - psychologists have studied children who fail to form attachments during this period - Rutter et al shows bowlbys claim is true to an extent = attachments are less likely after this period BUT not impossible
The developmental window is where children are maximally receptive to the formation of certain behaviours BUT developments can still take place outside of this window
What evidence is their for the continuity hypothesis?
Sroufe et al - Minnesota parent-child study - followed participants from infancy to adolescence and found continuity between early attachment and later emotional/social behaviour
Individuals who were classified as securely attached in infancy were highest rated for social competence
What is the alternative explanation suggest about attachment? (evaluation)
The temperament hypothesis - Kagan - proposes am infants innate emotional personality may explain attachment behaviour
i.e. infants with an easy temperament are more likely to become strong attached because it is easier to interact with them whereas those who are difficult tend to be insecurely attached - this contrasts Bowlbys view that attachment is based on sensitivity
HOWEVER, it may be that there is an interaction between the two, a suggestion proposed by Belsky and Rovine + supported by research that found mothers’perceptions of their infants temperament influenced the mothers responsiveness (Spangler)
