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