What approach does Bowlby's theory take to explain attachment?
an evolutionary explanation
What are some key ideas of the monotropic theory of attachment?
infants have an innate drive to form attachments with their mothers in particular
this attachment with the mother is vital for the infants survival as the mother provides food and security
babies use socialreleasers to develop a monotropic relationship
Social releasers
such as crying or smiling
mothers are biologically programmed to find these actions cute or distressing and will have a natural tendency to respond to them
a monotropic relationship should form in the first 30months after birth otherwise it could lead to negative consequences for the infant
Monotropic relationships provide a schema called the internal working model on how relationships are supposed to be like
Safe-base behaviour
infants with good attachments use their mothers and a base to explore their environment but show distress if the mother leaves or a stranger approaches
