Bowlby's theory

Question 1

What does Bowlby think about attachment ?

Answer 1

He suggests that attachment is biological

Question 2

What does ASMIC stand for ?

Answer 2

Adaptive
Social Releasers
Monotropy
Internal working model
Critical period

Question 3

What does Bowlby say about adaptive ?

Answer 3

• Bowlby’s evolutionary explanation
• says that forming attachments helps survival
• attachment gives infants adaptive advantage

Question 4

What does Bowlby say about social releasers ?

Answer 4

• babies have social releasers
• unlocks an innate tendency in adults to care for infants
• activates the adult attachment theory
• e.g smiling laughing

Question 5

What does Bowlby say about monotropy ?

Answer 5

• Mono = one special attachment
• this attachment is the most important and different
• He believed this was normally the mother
• The more time spent together the better the attachment
• Law of continuity = constant time with someone
• Law of accumulated separation = should be limited separation

Question 6

What does Bowlby say about the internal working model ?

Answer 6

• first relationship forms a template for all later relationships
• all future relationships are based on the 1st attachment

Question 7

What does Bowlby say about critical period ?

Answer 7

• says there is a critical period to form attachments
• says attachment behaviours occur in the first 2 years
• after 2 years it is even more complicated to form attachments

Question 8

What is a strength of Brazelton’s study ?

Answer 8

• supporting study
• reported the existence of interactional synchrony in observation
• mothers were instructed to ignore the babies responses
• babies showed severe distress
• significance of eliciting behaviour

Question 9

What was Bailey’s study ?

Answer 9

• Supports Internal working model
• Assessed 99 mothers and 1 years old using infants and observation
• Mothers who reported a poor attachment with their own mother were likely to have been classified as having poor attachment with their child

Question 10

What is a limitation of Bowlby’s theory ?

Answer 10

The concept of monotropy lacks validity
- This is due to Schaffer and Emerson’s research
- They found that although a baby formed an attachment with one parent to start with, they soon formed attachments with other close members
- Therefore although an attachment may be stronger, it doesn’t have a different quality

Question 11

What are strengths for SIC of ASMIC ?

Answer 11

Social releasers = Isabella, interactional synchrony
Critical period = Lorenz, Geese
Internal Working model = Harlow, difunctional monkey’s