explanations of attachment : bowlby's theory

Question 1

what is bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 1

1958,1969
rejected learning theory of attachment and used harlow and lorenz’s animal research to propose the evolutionary explanation

Question 2

why is bowlby’s explanation seen as evolutionary

Answer 2

can be explained through the process of natural selection

attachment is innate system that gives a survival advantage

imprinting and attachment evolved because they ensure young child stay close to the caregiver to protect them from hazards

Question 3

why is bowlby’s theory described as monotropic

Answer 3

the emphasis on the child’s development to one caregiver, attachment is different and more important than others

Question 4

why does bowlby believe that the more time a baby spend with this primary attachment figure the better

Answer 4

law of continuity - the more constant a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment
law of accumulated separation - the effects of every separation from the mother add up

Question 5

what are social releasers

Answer 5

bowlby suggested that babies are born with social releasers

a set of innate behaviours such as smiling, cooing, gripping –> keep the attention of adults

Question 6

the purpose of social releasers

Answer 6

activate adult social interaction, make adult attached to the baby

reciprocal

Question 7

what is the name of adults innate behaviour in the attachment process

Answer 7

innate predisposition

Question 8

how long was bowlby’s proposed critical period

Answer 8

2 years

viewed more as sensitive period

Question 9

why did bowlby view 2 years as more of a sensitive period

Answer 9

a child is maximally sensitive at 6 months and this may extend up to the age of 2 years
if an attachment is not formed during this time, the child will find it very difficult to form one later

Question 10

what is the internal working model

Answer 10

child forms a mental representation of the relationship with their primary attachment figure
this internal working model serves as a template for what relationships are like

Question 11

strength of bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 11

P: evidence for social releasers

E: brazelton et al (1975)instructed primary attachment figures to ignore their babies social releasers, babies initially showed some distress but eventually some curled up and stayed motionless

A: this illustrates the importance of social releasers and suggest that they are an important factor in the development of attachment

C:
E:

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P: support for the idea of internal working model

E: bailey et al (2007) compared the attachment types of 99 mothers and their children and found that mothers with poor attachment had poorly attached babies

A: these findings provide support for bowlby’s notion of primary attachment forming the model for all furture relationships
C:
E:

Question 12

how does the internal working model impact later relationships

Answer 12

a child whose first experience is a loving relationship will tend to form an expectation that all relationships are living and reliable

a child whose first relationship involves poor treatment will expect such treatment from the others

also affect child’s ability to later be a parent themselves

Question 13

weakness for bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 13

P: there is mixed evidence

E: schaffer and emerson (1964) refute the idea that infants must form one special attachment to their caregiver which supersedes all others and provides the foundation for subsequent multiple attachment. some infants do follow this pattern but there are 27% who form multiple attachment at the same time

A: this affects the validity of bowlby’s theory as it may be incorrect that there is a unique quality to primary attachments

C:
E:

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P: socially sensitive

E: has led mothers to stay at home and still has a negative impact on mothers today, still the idea amongst some that mothers should not work

A: burman (1994) state that it places a terrible burden of responsibility on mothers pushing them into particular lifestyle choices and placing the blame on them id anything goes wrong in a child’s life

C: further evidence shows good substitute care either in a nursery, the father or a family member does not have a detrimental effect on social development and so mother can happily return to work after having a child

E: this matters bc positive economic implications, mothers return to work and remain economic active, less stress on employers and government