Lesson 6 - Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory

Question 1

Why Attachments Form

Answer 1

Attachment between infants and caregivers is instinct that has evolved as it increases survival of baby and passing of parents’ genes
Adaptive
Infants attached will stay close to caregiver to stay protected and survive
Parents attached will ensure infants are well cared for so genes can be passed

Question 2

How Attachments Form

Critical Period

Answer 2

Infant’s have an innate drive to become attached
Innate behaviour have a critical period in which they must occur or never will
Critical period for attachment is two years

Bowlby proposed attachment is determined by caregiver’s sensitivity
Infants strongly attached have a caregiver who is responsive, cooperative and more accessible

Question 3

How Attachments Form

Social Releasers

Answer 3

Important during time to ensure attachments develop
Social releasers including smiling and crying, are behaviours that elicits care giving
Babies display them to encourage caregivers to look after them

Bowlby argued infants have special bond: monotropy
Bond is often with biological mother
Infants also form secondary attachments that provide emotional safety net and vital for healthy psychological and social development

Question 4

Consequences of Attachment

Answer 4

Importance of monotropy is infant uses relationship to form a mental view of relationships called internal working model
Secure relationships in childhood ensure a positive working model so relationships in future will be secure and positive
Continuity hypothesis proposes individuals who are securely attached in infancy continue to be socially and emotionally competent
This is because a secure childhood leads to a positive internal working model

Question 5

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation Points

Answer 5

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) Multiple Attachments
Socially Sensitive
Tizard and Hodges (1989) Critical Period
Unscientific
Kegan (1984) Caregiver’s Sensitivity

Question 6

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) Multiple Attachments
Negative

Answer 6

Suggests multiple attachments are more common in babies than monotropy
Found that by 18 months only 13% of infants had only one person they were attached to

Question 7

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation
Socially Sensitive
Negative

Answer 7

Feminists pointed out idea of monotropy is socially sensitive
Places terrible burden of responsibility on mothers setting them up to take blame for anything that goes wrong in their child’s life
Also puts pressure on mothers to stay home and give up their careers
Bowlby also underestimated role of father - saw father’s role as primarily economic
Outdated sexist view

Question 8

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation
Tizard and Hodges (1989) Critical Period
Negative

Answer 8

Found children who never formed attachments by four and were adopted could still form attachments to their new adopted parents
This goes against idea of critical period before two years of age during which an attachment must form or never will

Question 9

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation
Unscientific
Negative

Answer 9

It is impossible to test Bowlby’s argument that attachment has persisted in the same form throughout our evolutionary history making it unscientific

Question 10

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation
Kegan (1984) Caregiver’s Sensitivity
Negative

Answer 10

Disagreed with Bowlby about quality of infant’s attachment being determined by caregiver’s sensitivity
Explained infant’s attachments to their caregivers in terms of their innate temperament
According to his theory, some infants are better suited to forming attachments than others due to innate characteristics
Rovine (1987) found infants who had been judged to have signs of behavioural instability between one and three days were later more likely to have insecure attachment