explanations of attachment: Bowlby's theory Flashcards
monotropic definition
a term sometimes used to describe Bowlby’s theory. mono means one and tropic means learning towards. this indicted that one particular attachment is different form all others and of central importance to a child’s development
critical period definition
the time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all. Lorenz and Harlow noted that attachment in birds and monkeys had a critical periods. Bowlby extended the idea to humans, proposing that human babies have a sensitive period after which it will have much more difficult to form an attachment
internal working model definition
our mental representations of the world such as the representation we have of our relationship to our primary attachment figure. this model affects our future relationships because it carries our perception of what relationships are like
when did Bowlby come up with Bowlby’s monotropic theory
1988
why did Bowlby come up with his monotropic theory as an explanation for attachment
rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment (as infant does not readily take to whoever feeds him) instead bowlby looked at the work of Harlow and Lorenz and proposed an evolutionary explanation
what type of explanation is Bowlby’s monotropic theory
evolutionary
why is Bowlby’s theory evolutionary and what does it show
attachment was an innate system that gives a survival advantage. so attachment, like imprinting, evolved as a mechanism to keep young animals safe by ensuring they stay close to adult caregivers
why is Bowlby’s described as monotropic
placed great emphasis on a childs attachment to one particular caregiver
what did Bowlby believe about the child’s attachment to one caregiver
different and more important than others
what did Bowlby call the person who the child attached to
the mother- didn’t need to be a biological mother or a woman
what did Bowlby think about time spent with mother or primary-attachment figure
more time spent the better and put forward 2 principles to clarify this
what 2 principles did Bowlby put forward to clarify the more time spent with primary attachment figure the better
-law of continuity
-law of accumulated separation
what is the law of continuity (Bowlby’s principle for more time spent with primary-attachment figure the better)
stated the more constant and predictable a child’s care the better quality of their attachment
what is the law of accumulated separation (Bowlby’s principle for more time spent with primary-attachment figure the better)
stated that the effects of every separated from the mother add up and the saftest dose is therefore a zero dose - Bowlby 1975
what did Bowlby suggest babies were born with
Social releasers-innate set of cute behaviours like smiling, cooing and gripping that encourage attention from adults called social releasers
what is the purpose of social releasers
to activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attachment to the baby
why did Bowlby call them social releasers
as their purpose is to activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attachment to the baby
what did Bowlby notice about attachment
attachment was a reciprocal process. both the mother and the baby are ‘hard-wired’ to become attached
how does the interplay between adult and baby attachment build
gradually builds the relationship between the baby and caregiver, begging in the early weeks
what did Bowlby propose about the critical period
critical period around 6months when the infant attachment system is active
what did Bowlby think about the critical period
it is more of a sensitive period. the child is maximally sensitive as 6 months and this possibly extends up to the age of 2 (2.5). if an attachment is more formed at this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later
what is the internal working model
Bowlby proposed that a child forms a mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure
why is it called a internal working model
because it severs as a model for what relationships look like
internal working model- what do child with first experience is loving relationship with a reliable caregiver
will tend to form expectation that all relationships are loving and caring, and will bring these qualities to future relationships
internal working model - what does a child with first relationship involves poor treatment
will tend to form further poor relationship in which they expect such treatment from others and/or treat others in that way
what does the internal working model mean for future
affects the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves. people tend to base their parenting behaviour on their own experiences of being parented. explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves
limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - validity of monotropy challenged
-lacks validity
-Schaffer and Emersion 1964 found that although most babies did attach to one person first, a significant minorty formed multiple attachmenst at the same time. also, although the first attachment does appear to have a particularly strong influence on later behaviour, this may simply mean it is stronger, not necessarily different in quality form the child’s other attachments, for example, other attachments to family members provide all the same key qualities such as emotional support and a safe base etc –> means Bowlby may be incorrect that there is a unique quality and importance to the child’s primary attachment
strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - support for social releasers
-evidence supporting the role of social releasers
-clear evidence that cute baby behaviours are designed to elicit interaction form caregivers. Brazelton et al 1975 observed babies trigger interactions with adults using social releasers . the researchers then instructed the babies’ primary attachment figures to ignore the babies social releasers. babies who were previously shown to be normally responsive became increasingly distressed and some eventually curls up and lay motionless –> illustrates the role of social releasers in emotional development and suggests that they are important in the process of attachment development
strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - support for the internal working model
-support for the internal working model
-idea of the internal working model predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed on from one generation to the next. Bailey et al 2007 assessed the attachment relationships in 99 mothers and the 1 year old babies. the researchers measures the mothers attachment to the their own primary attachment figures such as their parents. the researchers also assessed the attachment quality of the babies. they found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies –> supports Bowlby’s idea that mothers’ ability to form attachments to their babies is influenced by their internal working models which in turn comes form their own early attachment experiences
limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - counterpoint to support for internal working model
-there are probably other important influences on social development. for example some psychologists believe that genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect social behvaiour in both babies and adults. those differences could also impact on their parenting ability Kornienko 2016 –> means Bowlby may have overstated the importance of the internal working model in social behaviour and parenting at the expense of other factors
evaluation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - feminist concerns
-law of continuity and accumulated separation suggest that mothers who work may negatively affect their child’s emotional development. feminists like Burman 1994 point out that this belief set 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 mothers’ activates, for example retouring to work
-on the other hand, prior to Bowlby’s time people didn’t think the mother’s role was important, and, in fact, many custody disputes were settles in favour of the father because mothers were not regarded as necessary. also, Bowlby ideas have many real-world applications, such as key workers in day care who build an attachment with particular babies
