explaining attachment - bowlbys monotropic theory

Question 1

AO1 points (6)

Answer 1

1. evolutionary theory
2. adaptive advantage
3. social releasers
4. critical period
5. monotropy
6. internal working model

Question 2

evolutionary theory AO1 (1)

Answer 2

• born w innate tendancy to form attachments in order to survive

Question 3

adaptive advantage AO1(2)

Answer 3

• infants who form attachments to caregiver are kept safe, warm and given food
• they have an adaptive advantage

Question 4

social releasers AO1 (4)

Answer 4

• babies have social releasers
• they unlock innate tendancy of adults to care for them
  1. physical - baby facial features + body proportions
  2. behavioral - crying, cooing

Question 5

critical period AO1 (5)

Answer 5

• between birth and 2.5 yrs
• Bowlby viewed this as more of a senitive period
• child maximally sensitive at 6 months but this can extend to 2 years old
• if child doesnt form attaachment during this period they will find it very hard to form an attachment later
• bowlby said that if attachment doesnt form during that period then child would be emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically damaged

Question 6

Monotropy AO1(4)

Answer 6

• infants form 1 very special, intense attachment w mothers (called this person the mother just primary attachment figure)
• more time child spends w primary attachment figure the better
• The law of continuity: the more predictable and constant a childs care the better the quality of their attachment
• law of accumulated seperation: effects of every sepeartion from the mother adds up and the safest dose is 0 dose

Question 7

internal working model (4)

Answer 7

• mental schema for relationships
• formed through infants monotropic attachment
• all future adult relationships based on this model
• also affects how child will parent themselves - base own parenting behavior on own experience of being parented

Question 8

AO3 (3)

Answer 8

✅ supporting evidence for internal working model
- found that mothers who reported poor attachment w own parents also reported poor attachment w own children

✅ research support for monotropy + critical period - Lorenz
- foudn imprinting to be an innate process that must occur during a critical period for attachment to be formed
- geese attached to a single perdon showing monotropic behavior

• ❌CA: animals not same as humans

❌ socially sensitive implications
- theory suggests that if child is away from primary CG for long periods of time then this will lead to poor attachment which has severe effects
- large burden on mother - feel obligated to stay at home and no job - economic issues