Explanations Of Attachment: Bowlbys Theory Flashcards
Strength of Bowlbys theory of attachment
P-clear evidence to support the existence and value of social releasers
E-brazleton et al instructed primary attachment figures to ignore their babies’ social releasers
E-babies previously shown to be initially showed some distress, but eventually some curled up and lay motionless
L-this supports Bowlbys ideas about the significance of infant social behaviour eliciting caregiving from adults and the role of releasers in initiating social interaction
Strength of Bowlbys theory of attachment
P-support for the idea of an internal working model
E-Bailey et al. studied 99 mothers; those with poor attachment to own parents were more likely to have one year olds who were poorly attached
E-the idea of internal working models predict that patterns of attachment will be passed from one generation the the next
L-supports bowlbys idea of an internal working model of attachment as it is being passed through families
Limitation of Bowlbys theory of attachment
P-bowlby may have overemphasised the role of attachment
E-temperament researchers suggest that some babies are more anxious and some more sociable than others as a result of their genetic make-up
E-temperamental differences rather than quality of attachment can explain later social behaviour
L-child’s temperament is important in the development of social behaviour
Limitation of Bowlbys theory of attachment
P-the evidence for monotropy is mixed
E-Schaffer and Emerson found that most babies did attach to one person at first, but a significant minority formed multiple attachments at the same time
E-attachment to mothers better predicts later behaviour, but this may be because mother is the primary attachment, not the different attachment quality
L-contradicts bowlbys assertion that babies form one attachment to a primary caregiver and that this attachment is unique
Limitation of Bowlbys theory of attachment
P-monotropy is socially sensitive because of implications for mothers’ lifestyle
E-feminists argue that mothers are blamed for anything that goes wrong in a child’s life and pushes mother into making lifestyle choices
E-the law of accumulated separation stress that having substantial time apart from a primary attachment figure risks a poor quality attachment that will disadvantage the child in a range of ways
L-however bowlby saw himself as boosting the status of mothers by emphasising the importance of their role
Bowlby
Gave and evolutionary explanation: that attachment is an innate system that gives a survival advantage
Imprinting and attachment evolved because the ensure young animals stay close to their caregivers and this protects them from hazards
Monotropy
Bowlbys theory is described as mono tropic because of the emphasis on the child’s attachment to on caregiver
This attachment is different to others and more important
More time spent with the mother figure is beneficial
Bowlby believed that the more time a baby spent with this primary attachment figure the better
Two main reasons:
1) law of continuity - more constant a child’s care the better the quality of attachment
2) law of accumulated separation - the effect of everyday separation add up
Social releasers
Bowlby suggested that babies are born with a set of innate ‘cute’ behaviours e.g. smiling, cooing to encourage attention from adukts
The purpose of these social releasers is to activate the adult attachment system
Critical period
Bowlby proposed there is a critical period which is sensitive of about two years in which the infant attachment system is active
If an attachment is not formed in this time, he or she will find it much harder to form one later
Internal working model
Bowlby argued that the child forms a mental representation of the relationship with their primary attachment figure
This IWM works as a ‘template’ for what relationships are like
A child whose first experience is loving will tend to form loving relationships vice versa
The internal working model may also affect the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves
