explanations of attachment - bowlby's theory

Question 1

bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 1

• bowlby rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment because ‘were it true, an infant of a year or two would take readily to whomever feeds him and this is clearly not the case’
• he looked at the work of lorenz and harlow an instead proposed an evolutionary explanation
• attachment is an innate system that gives a survival advantage, so attachment evolved as a mechanism to keep young animals safe by ensuring they stay close to adult caregivers

Question 2

monotropy

Answer 2

• the theory is described as monotropic because he placed great emphasis on a child’s attachment to one caregiver
• he believed that the child’s attachment to this caregiver is different and more important than to others
• bowlby called this person the mother but it is clear that this does not need to be the biological mother or even a woman
• he believed that a the more time a baby spent with its mother figure, or primary attachment figure, the better
• he put together two principles to clarify this

law of continuity - the more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of their attachment

law of accumulated separation - the effects of every separation from the mother add up, ‘and the safest dose is therefore a zero dose’

Question 3

social releasers and the critical period

Answer 3

• bowlby suggested that all babies are born with a set of innate ‘cute’ behaviours which elicit caregiving like. smiling, cooing and gripping
• social releasers because their purpose is to get adults’ attention and therefore make an adult attach to the baby
• recognised that attachment is a reciprocal process, both mother and baby are hard-wired to become attached
• interplay between adult and baby attachment systems builds relationship between baby and caregiver, beginning in early weeks of life
• proposed that there is a critical period (around 6 months) when the infant attachment system is active, bowlby viewed this as more of a sensitive period
• a child is maximally sensitive at 6 months and this can extend up to the age of 2
• if an attachment is not formed in this time, the child will find it more difficult to form attachments later on

Question 4

internal working model (cognitive element)

Answer 4

• bowlby proposed that children form mental representations of their relationship with their primary attachment figure
• internal working model because it serves as a model for what relationships are like
• a child whose first experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to form these characteristics as an expectation and they will bring these qualities to future relationships
• a child who has poor first relationships will go on to form further poor relationships in which they treat others like this and expect people to treat them this way
• the internal working model affects the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves as people tend to base their parenting behaviours on how they had experienced parenting
• this explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves
• shapes attachment schemas

Question 5

evaluation - validity of monotropy challenged

Answer 5

• schaffer and emerson found that although most babies attached to one person at first, a significant formed multiple attachments at the same time
• although the first attachment appears to have a string relationship to later attachments, this means it is stronger and not necessarily different from other attachments
• for example attachments to other family members may provide the same key qualities
• bowlby may be incorrect that there is a unique quality and importance to the childs primary attachment

Question 6

support for internal working model (bailey et al)

Answer 6

• predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed from one generation to the next
• bailey et al assessed attachments in 99 mothers and their 1 year olds
• measured mothers’ attachments to their own primary attachment figures, and assessed the attachment quality of the babies
• mothers with poor attachment to their primary attachment figures had poorly attached babies
• supports bowlby’s ideas that mothers’ ability to form attachments to their babies is influenced by their internal working models (which comes from their own early attachment experiences)

Question 7

evaluation for law of continuity

Answer 7

• can’t properly establish cause and effect
• doesn’t predict every case, some people may have good upbringings but will have issues in future relationships
• could be due to other factors, not just continuity
• individual differences

Question 8

social and ethical implications of bowlby’s research

Answer 8

• only looks at the mother, ignores role of father (stereotypes)
• ethically, some people who had insecure attachments may not want their information included (informed consent etc.)
• highlighted importance of good quality care during critical period
• led to improvements in childcare (social worker, hospital visitation rights etc.)