Explanations of attachment: Bowlby's monotropic theory Flashcards
What did Bowlby believe about attachment
Bowlby believed that an attachment forms between a baby and a carer because it is adaptive (increases the chances of survival). An infant who is not attached is less well protected than an infant who has formed an attachment to a caregiver. The drive to form this attachment is innate; an instinct.
What do infants display
Infants display natural behaviours that bring about an instinctive care giving response in adults. These are called social releasers (e.g. smiling, crying and making cooing noises). These social releasers explain how attachments to infants are formed.
Critical period
Bowlby suggested that there is a critical period for forming attachments. This is from birth until about 2.5 years of age. If an attachment has not developed during this period, then it will never form. This means that the child will suffer from irreversible developmental consequences, such as reduced intelligence and increased aggression.
special attachment according to sensitivity
A special attachment forms with the person who responds most sensitively to the baby’s needs. This might involve being more responsive, more cooperative and more accessible. The tendency to form one special attachment is called monotropy. The person who provides the best quality care becomes the primary attachment figure and has a special role in the social development of the baby. This primary attachment figure acts as a secure base from which the baby can explore the world around them whilst staying safe.
internal working model
Bowlby believed that the first primary attachment creates a type of schema for relationships known as the internal working model. This helps the infant understand the behaviour of their caregiver and, in the long-term, acts as a template for all later relationships because it generates expectations about what relationships are like.
If a child experiences a warm and close relationship with their mother they will tend to expect and develop similar relationships in later life. But if the mother is cold and rejecting, the child will develop a negative self-image and low self-esteem, basically see themselves as unlovable and therefore experience unsatisfactory relationships in later life too. Therefore, Bowlby predicted that emotionally secure infants who have formed strong bonds in infancy would go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults. This is called the continuity hypothesis.
Evaluation, Bowlby monotropic theory, strength
There is supporting evidence for the idea that attachment is adaptive. For example, infants form attachments at an agewhen it is most vital to their survival. Infants begin to crawl from around six months, an activity that could put them in danger and this is also when we tend to see attachments forming. This is a strength as it shows that attachments do serve the purpose of protecting infants from harm and increasing their chances of survival as Bowlby suggested, giving the theory face validity.
There is also supporting evidence for the concept of monotropy. For example, Schaffer and Emerson found that babies do from a specific attachment to a primary attachment figure even though they also formed several other attachments within their families. This is a strength as it suggests that Bowlby’s theory of monotropy is accurate and that infants form an important bond with the person who responds most sensitively to their needs.
Furthermore, there is supporting evidence for the concept of the internal working model and the continuity hypothesis. For example, one study found that those who had secure relationships as babies had happier and more trusting romantic relationships as adults. Another found that children who had the most secure (closest) relationship with their mothers as babies formed better friendships with other children than those who were less securely attached. This is a strength as it suggests that Bowlby’s theory that the first attachment sets the pattern for all other relationships is correct.
Evaluation, Bowlby monotropic theory, challenges
However, there is evidence that challenges Bowlby’s suggestion of a critical period for the development of attachments. Studies of children in institutions who failed to form attachments during the critical period found that it is possible to form attachments and develop normally. This is a weakness because it challenges the suggestion that attachments will be impossible if they are not formed during this time. Psychologists now prefer to refer to this time as the sensitive period; where children are at their most receptive to the formation of attachments. Bowlby himself, later proposed a sensitive period of up to 5 years.
