Explanations of attachment: Bowlby's theory

Question 1

what did bowlby reject

Answer 1

Bowlby rejected the learning theory and suggested attachment was an innate system.

Question 2

what did bowlby say attachment was

Answer 2

Adaptive – innate tendency to form attachments in order to survive

Social releasers – infants possess inborn social releasers which unlock an innate tendency in adults to care for them. E.g. physical – big eyes and a button nose. Behavioural – crying and cooing

Critical period – infants must form an attachment with their caregiver during the critical period, which is between 3-6 months. If attachment is not formed in this time frame, the child will be damaged for life

Monotropy – infants form one very special attachment with their primary caregiver

Internal working model - infants forms an internal working model, which is an internal template for future relationship expectations. A strong attachment with primary caregiver tend to form the expectation that all relationships are loving and reliable. However, a weak attachment with primary caregiver tend to form further poor relationships in which they expect poor treatment from others. The internal working model affects the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves as people tend to base their parenting behaviour on their own experiences.

A Sweet Charlotte Maisie Interaction

Question 3

Evaluation of Bowlby’s theory as an explanation of attachment (brief)

Answer 3

strength - Lorenz for critical period HOWEVER, based on animals
strength - support for internal working model
weakness - socially sensitive

Question 4

strengths of Bowlby’s theory as an explanation of attachment:

Answer 4

there is supporting evidence from Lorenz for the critical period. Lorenz suggested that the critical period in geese is 12-17 hours. This therefore suggests that critical period is an important time period for attachments to be formed. It also supports the fact that attachment is an innate process based on biological principles. HOWEVER, Lorenz’s study is based on animal participants that are different to humans. For example, our cognitive ability and language comprehension is much more complex than animals. This means we cannot assume attachment for humans is similar to that of animals which limits the generalisability of the theory.

there is support for the internal working model. Bailey et al assessed attachment relationships in 99 mothers and their infants using the strange situation and interviews. They found that majority of mothers had the same attachment type with their infant as with their mother. They also found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies. This therefore supports Bowlby’s idea of the internal working model influencing later attachments.

Question 5

weakness of Bowlby’s theory as an explanation of attachment:

Answer 5

this theory is socially sensitive as it puts pressure on mother to form an attachment with child within 3 years of age. Feminists like Erica Burman point out that this belief sets up mothers to take the blame for anything that goes wrong for the child in the future. It also gives people an excuse to restrict women’s activities such as going back to work. This could have economic implications as less mothers returning to work affects productivity and therefore less money is earnt by the economy.