Monotropic theory

• Applying the principles of ethology to Human infants Bowlby suggested that attachment is an innate process that serves an important evolutionary function
• Bowlby put forward an important theory of attachment based on the work of ethologists
• He saw humans as being just like other animals- we have an innate tendency to form attachments with a caregiver
• Adopted the idea of a critical period from ethologists like Lorenz and applied this to his explanation of how human infants form their attachment