Bowlbys Monotropic Theory Of Attatchment

Question 1

Bowlbys theory is sometimes referred to as an evolutionary theory. What does this mean?

Answer 1

It means we attach in order to survive. It’s the fact that it’s innate

Question 2

What side of the nature/nurture debate would it fall into?

Answer 2

Nature

Question 3

In what ways would attachment provide/aid survival

Answer 3

Emotional needs
Comfort
Safety- the desire to maintain proximity ensure the infants safety
Secure base for exploration

Question 4

1.

Answer 4

Bowlbys theory of attachment suggests an evolutionary explanation for attachment concluding that emotional bonds had evolutionary functions and that attachment is innate and adaptive (aids survival) process for both infant and parent.

Question 5

2.

Answer 5

Attachment evolved to make sure that offspring remain close to caregivers

Question 6

3.

Answer 6

Infants have an innate drive to survive and so are born with an instinct to attach.
Infants are genetically programmed to behave in particular ways towards their mothers and fathers ways that increase their chance of survival

Question 7

4.

Answer 7

Through evolution infants have developed innate species specific behaviours making sure they are cared for and protected. These behaviours are known as social releasers.

Question 8

Law of continuity

Answer 8

The more continuous the child’s care, the better the quality of their attachment

Question 9

Critical period

Answer 9

• attachments must take place within the first 2.5 years of life
• The concept of a ‘critical period’ implies that an aspect of development
  has to take place during a set period of time; otherwise it won’t take place at all.
• Bowlby claimed that human attachment formation was similar to a
  process that occurs in animals (imprinting) in that it is an innate, biologically driven process that must occur during a critical period!
• he believed that a child requires the continuous presence of a primary caregiver throughout a critical period known as the sensitive period
• bowlby said that if this critical period is missed the child will find it much harder to form one later
• attachments can be formed outside the critical period but that they develop much more slowly
• he identified serious consequences of failure to form an attachment

Question 10

Internal working model

Answer 10

• attachments form an IWM or schema for all future relationships
• schema - mental framework that helps organise and interpret information and experiences
• the IWM is a blueprint for all future relationships which forms a mental representation for future relationships
• it is formed in the child’s first primary attachment relationship which guides their future relationships (romantic and with children)
• the first attachment of the child builds up a model of themselves in terms of how loveable they are and a model of the caregiver as trustworthy or not and a model of the relationship between the two which then provides them a sect expectation about what to expect from relationships
• this leads to continuity which suggests that there is a link between early attachment relationships and later emotional behaviour.
• infants who are securely attached in infancy continue to be socially or emotionally competent whereas in insecurely attached children have more social and emotional difficulties in childhood and adulthood

Question 11

How to remember Bowlbys montropic theory

Answer 11

A= Adaptive 
Snap= Social releasers 
Chat= critical period 
Makes= Monotropy  
Images= Internal Working Model

Question 12

Attachment

Answer 12

An innate and adaptive process for both infant and parent