Explanations of Attachment: Bowlby's theory

Question 1

What is the idea of Monotropy?

Answer 1

• There is one primary attachment figure who is different and more important than the others
• The law of continuity: the more constant a childs care the better the quality of attachment
• The law of accumulated separation: the affects of of every separation from the mother adds up and the safest dose is a zero dose

Question 2

What are Social releasers?

Answer 2

• innate behavipur from the baby (crying smiling etc) that illicit adult responses

Question 3

What is a critical period?

Answer 3

• the period after birth where babies attach best

Question 4

What is the internal working model?

Answer 4

• The mental representation of the childs first attachment

Question 5

What limits the validity of Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 5

• Schaffer and Emerson suggested that although most babies did attach to one person at first, a significant minority formed multiple attachments at the same time and so the ‘montropy’ idea may not be true

Question 6

What evidence supports social releasers?

Answer 6

• Brazelton found that when caregivers ignore babies social releasers they become distressed and some even curled up and lay motionless showing the importance of social releasers

Question 7

In what way could this be seen as negative from a feminist perspective?

Answer 7

• the law of accumulated separation and the law of continuity suggest mothers working may negatively effect their child. Sets up mothers to take the blame for anything that goes wrong in their child’s future, gives people to restrict mother’s activities e.g going back to work