explanations: monotropic theory Flashcards
who came up with the monotropic theory of attachment?
Bowlby
what is Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment?
the monotropic theory of attachment suggests that attachments increase the chance of survival and allow individuals to adapt to their environments.
what is monotropy?
monotropy is an innate tendency to become attached to one person
how is an internal working model important?
by having one intense emotional relationship is important in evolutionary terms as it provides an internal working model for relationships
what is an internal working model?
it is a template for future relationships
what is the continuity hypothesis linked to the internal working model?
it is when there is continuity between the first attachment made and any future attachments made
what are social releasers?
Bowlby believed that the innate social releasers (cute behaviours whose purpose is to activate social interaction, e.g. crying, babbling, big eyes) ensures interaction takes place allowing an attachment to form
what is a critical period?
according to Bowlby a child has a critical time period of 2 1/2 years to form an attachment. if an attachment isn’t formed within this period then it isn’t possible late in life for one to be formed
AO3: how is ‘support for the role of social releasers’ a strength to Bowlby monotropic theory of attachment?
Brazelton et al. (1975) observed the use of social releasers in children, where there was evidence of interactional synchrony.
in a later experiment, where primary attachment figures were told to ignore the baby, there were signs of stress if the social releasers were ignore.
this supports bowlbys theory because when infants show distress, some eventually curled up into a ball. this supports the importance of social releasers in initiating social interaction. therefore the idea of an internal working model predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed from one generation to the next.
AO3: how is ‘support for the internal working model’ a strength to Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment?
Bailey et al. (2007) assessed the attachment types in 99 mothers and their baby’s. they found that attachment types tend to pass through generations, with those who described poor attachments with their parents, having poor attachments with their baby.
Hazan & Shaver (1987) conducted the ‘love quiz’ and found that a relationship between childhood attachment type and adult attachment type. individuals who were securely attached as infants tended to have lasting love relationships. insecure attachment types found relationships less easy, and were more likely to be divorced
both these studies suggest that the internal working models are likely to be formed during the first initial attachment, and that it may even have a significant impact upon the ability of the children to become parents later on in life. there is continuity suggesting that we do have a template for attachment formation.
AO3: how is ‘challenges the idea of monotropy’ a limitation to Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment?
Schaffer and Emerson (1964), nearly a third of babies had multiple attachments. at 18 months, 87% of babies had multiple attachments. the primary attachment may be stronger but not necessarily different. this research therefore challenges bowlbys claim that early attachments are monotropic.
Suess et al. (1992), first attachments are not unique. it appeared stronger ( and was thus a greater predictor of later behaviour) but not qualitatively different from other attachments.
both of these studies suggest that monotropy is unlikely to be a universal feature of infants- caregiver attachments, as believed by bowlby, and so is a strictly limited explanation of some cases of attachment.
AO3: how is ‘role of the father’ a limitation to Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment?
bowlby has also been critisized for his view of the father. Bowlby saw the main role of the father as supporting the mother.
however, there is evidence that fathers are often preferred as playmates than mothers, and that boys between 15-24 months show a preference for their fathers.
