Bowlby's Monotropic Theory of Attachment

• attachment can be explained by evolution

  • we have evolved a biological need to attach to our main caregiver
  • this has developed through natural selection to ensure the survival of the child to maturity
• Bowlby's idea of monotropy is that we form one main attachment usually to our biological mother.

  This ensures food and protection.

  A strong attachment provides a safe base, giving us confidence to explore our environment.
• we create an internal working model of attachment

  • bowlby's theory states that infant attachments work as a framework for future relationships, forming an internal working model for future attachments
  • this is a working model because it can change and develop over time depending on how a person's relationship changes
  • the continuity hypothesis : the primary caregiver provides the foundations for the child's future relationships
• there is a critical period for attachment

  • Bowlby claims that the first three years of life are the critical period for attachment to develop - otherwise you may never do so
  • if attachment doesnt develop then it may damage the child's social and emotional development
  • Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis assumes that if the relationship between the primary caregiver and infant is disrupted during the critical period, then there are long term consequences
• Schaffer and Emerson provide evidence against Bowlby's claims about monotropy. They have found that, rather than one main attachment, many children form multiple attachments and may not even attach to their mother.
• Bowlby's report in the 1950s led to an increase in 'stay at home' mothering, which had a subsequent impact on the economy

  as fewer women were going to work

  women were also seen as bad mothers if they did not stay at home for their children