explainations of attachment - bowlby's theory

Question 1

why did bowlby create his explaination of attachment

Answer 1

• he believed that attachment was so important that it couldn’t be left for humans to learn and so was something we are born with
• we are pre-programmed to attach and become attached to our offspring as it is vital to our survival

Question 2

what did Bowlby suggest about the formation of attachments?

Answer 2

• he rejected the learning theory and argued that children do not just get attached to the person who feeds them
• he took an evolutionary approach to explain attachment

Question 3

what is the innate concept in bowlby’s theory of attachment

Answer 3

• the idea that we are born with the ability to attach
• it is too important to be left to chance or to be learnt
• if we do not attach to our primary caregiver as infants, we die out
• if we do not attach to our offspring then they die out and so does our genetic survival

Question 4

what is monotropy in Bowlby’s explanation of attachment?

Answer 4

• the idea that you only ever really form one attachment
• Bowlby believed that the child’s attachment to this one caregiver is different and more important than others; secondary attachments are important in emotional development, they act as a safety net
• an infant will become most strongly attached to the person who responds most sensitively to the infants social releasers
• more constant and predictable care and reduced separation leads to better quality attachment

Question 5

what are the two principles that Bowlby put forward to clarify his monotropic theory?

Answer 5

• the law of continuity
• the law of accumulated separation

Question 6

law of continuity in Bowlby’s explanation of attachment

Answer 6

• the idea that the more constant and predictable a childs care, the better the quality of attachment

Question 7

law of accumulated separation in Bowlby’s explanation of attachment

Answer 7

• the idea that the effects of every separation with the mother adds up and so the safest dose is therefore no dose (Bowlby, 1975)

Question 8

what is the continuity hypothesis in Bowlby’s explanation of attachment?

Answer 8

• the idea that the attachment you have in your infancy will impact later relationships
• securely attached children tend to grow up to have more stable relationships

Question 9

critical period in Bowlby’s explanation of attachment

Answer 9

• this is the period that we must form an attachment within
• Bowlby believes this to be from 9 months to 3 years
• if an attachment does not form within this time, the infant will not form one and this will lead to long-lasting psychological damage

Question 10

why was the critical period later changed to the sensitive period?

Answer 10

-because forming an attachment within a specific time is now felt to be ideal but not essential
-research has shown that attachments can develop in later childhood

Question 11

internal working model

Answer 11

• a mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment
• the attachment the model relates to a person’s expectations about relationships

Question 12

social releaser

Answer 12

a social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment