bowlby's monotropic theory

• what did bowlby suggest about attachment?

  • attachment is an innate process that serves an important evolutionary function
• define evolution?

  • change in inherited characteristics of an organism over time
  • is adaptive
• 5 main components - ASCMI

  1. adaptive
  2. social releases
  3. critical period
  4. monotropy
  5. internal working model
• adaptive - why we develop attachments?

  • essential for survival
  • provides safety:
  • infants who form attachment want to remain closer to pcg
  • both infant & pcg experience anxiety if separated
  • mum keeps baby safe & secure
  • provision of resources: food & water & shelter
  • babies who attach more likely to survive & reproduce passing on behaviour of att
• social releases - how we develop attachments?

  • infants automatically elicit specific behaviours known as sr
  • are innate & universal
  • physical - typical baby face, features & body proportions
  • behavioural - crying, cooing & smiling
  • att only formed if adults respond with correct instinctive parenting responses
• critical period - when do we develop attachments?

  • birth - 2 yrs
  • if do not form att within this time will have problems with att in later life
• monotropy - who we form attachments to?

  • innate tendency for infant to form single primary att to mum
  • this att seen as special & essential for healthy development
• internal working model - how we continue to form attachments?

  • infants learn about relationships from their att to pcg & form iwm
  • they internalise primary att - forms template for future relationships
• 3 * of bowlbys monotropic theory?

  1. evidence to support from genie
  2. evidence to support from wolff
  3. evidence to support form lorenz animal study
• 2 X of bowlbys monotropic theory?

  1. evidence to contradict from lambs study
  2. evidence to contradict from schaffer & emerson
• * genie?

  • abused until 11
  • unable to form att during critical period - isolated
  • never formed att even in adult life
  • shows that failure to form att during cp leads to developmental problems
  • supports idea of iwm as template for future relationships
  • not only struggled to form att during childhood she never formed one
• * wolff?

  • 1969
  • infants produce different types of crying that mums instinctively recognise & respond appropriately to
  • these behaviours act as signals to inform parents of childs needs
  • shows importance of sr to form & reinforce att bond between child & pcg
• *lorenz animal study?

  • baby geese imprinted onto him
  • concluded that imprinting is innate biological reponse & takes place within first few hours of life
  • shows att is adaptive
  • provides support for notion that animals form innate att during specific time frame
• X lambs study?

  • 1987
  • children form strong att with fathers but for different reasons
  • through play
  • different att serve different purposes rather than being heirarchy
  • bowlby believes infants form one single primary att to mum
  • lamb suggests father plays role in formation of att
  • contradicts idea of monotropy
• X schaffer & emerson

  • found that 29% children formed multiple att at 1 yrs to others such as dad, grandparents
  • shows theres not just one att to mum
  • bowlby believes that within cp att made to just one pcg
  • evidence suggests infants able to form multiple att earlier than cp suggests