Monotrophy - Bowlby

• Monotrophy 


  The idea that the one relationship that the infant has with their primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development
• Bowlby stated that attachment is innate and important for survival
• Bowlby stated:


  • Attachment is adaptive
  • Triggered by social releasers
  • Occurs in a critical period
  • Monotropic
  • Contributes to our internal working model
  • Has long term consequences (Continuity hypothesis)
• Continuity hypothesis 


  The idea that emotionally secure infants grow into emotionally secure adults
• Critical period 


  A biologically determined period of time which certain characteristics can develop
• Social releasers 


  A social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment
• Strong attachment and consequences are adaptive
• Genetically determined behaviour that enhances a childs survival and reproduction will be naturally selected
• bowlby introduced the concept of EEA - The environment of evolutionary adaptiveness 


  The environment to which a species is adapted and the selected pressures that existed at the time
• Why attachments formed

  After Lorenz’s research, Bowlby believed that attachment was a survival skill - stating that for attachment to form the parents must also form an attachment, making them more likely to produce subsequent generations
• How does attachment form

  Babies have an innate drive to become attached, and a critical period of 3-6 months

  Infants that don’t experience this may have difficulty forming attachments later on

  Bowlby proposed that attachment is determined by sensitivity and innate mechanisms (social releasers) explain how attachment is formed
• Consequences 


  An infant forming an important attachment can lead to the formation of the internal working model - a mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment

  This model has several life consequences:

  1. Short term - insight into caregivers behaviour, influencing a true partnership to form
  2. Long term - Acts as a template for future relationships and generates expectations
• Strength - Is attachment adaptive?


  in order for survival, animals are ale to change their attachments no matter the age

  For example, monkeys hold onto their mothers for survival so change their attachments in order to survive
• Strength - Continuity hypothesis (Sroufe et al 2005)


  Followed participants from infancy to late adolescence and found continuity between early attachment and later social behaviour

  Securely attached infants had the highest social competency and were less isolate, more popular and empathetic
• Alternative explanation - Kalgan 1984, Temperament hypothesis 


  An infants innate emotional personality may explain attachment behaviour - More stable ‘easy’ temperament may be more likely to form a strong attachment
• Alternative explanations - Belskey and Rovine (1987)


  Found that babies 1-3 days old who had signs of behavioural instability were later judged to have formed an insecure attachment