explanation of attachment Bowlby evaluation Flashcards
what does it mean when we say that there is mixed evidence for monotropy
Bowlby believed that babies generally formed one attachment to their primary caregiver and this attachment was special - in some ways different from later attachments
Only after this attachment was established could a child form multiple attachments
HOWEVER, they also found that a significant minority appeared able to form multiple attachments at the time
this could mean that attachment to the primary attachment figure is just stronger than attachments, not necessarily that is different in quality
- the jury is still out on monotropy
what is the support for social releasers
there is clear evidence to show that cute infant behaviours are intended to initiate social interactions and that doing so is important to the baby
Brazelton et al (1975)) observed mothers and babies during this interactions, reporting the existence of the interactional synchrony
The fact that the babies responded so strongly supports Bowlby’s ideas the significance of infant behaviour in eliciting caregiving
what was Brazelton et al’s study
Brazelton et al (1975)) observed mothers and babies during this interactions, reporting the existence of the interactional synchrony
They then extended the study from an observation to an experiment
Primary attachment figures were instruccted to ignore their babies signals (social releasers)
The babies initially showed some distress but, when the attachment figures continued to ignore the baby some respond by curling up and lying motionless
what does it mean when we say that there is support for working models
the idea for the working models is testable because it predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed on from one generation to thee next
Bailey et al tested this theory (2007)
They assessed 99 mothers using a standard interview procedure
The researchers also assessed the attachment of the babies to the mothers by observation
This supports the idea that, as Bowlby said, an internal working model of attachment was being paseed through the families
what was Baily et al study show
Bailey et al tested this theory (2007)
They assessed 99 mothers using a standard interview procedure
The researchers also assessed the attachment of the babies to the mothers by observation
It was found that the mothers who relied poor attachments to their own parents in the interviews were much more likely to have children classified as poor according to the observations
what does it mean when we say that monotropy is a socially sensitive idea
monotropy is a controversial idea because it has major implications for the lifecycle choices mothers make when their children are young
the law if accumulated separation states that having substantial time apart from a primary attachment that will disadvantage the child in a range of ways later
what did Feminists e.g. Erica Burman point out
they pointed out that this places a terrible burden of responsible on mothers, setting them to take blame for anything that goes wrong in the rests of the child’s life
also pushes mothers into particular lifestyle choices like not returning to work when a child is born
Not Bowlby’s intention - saw himself as boosting the status of mothers by emphasising the importance of their role
