bowlbys monotropic theory

• monotropy

  the idea that the one relationship an infant has with their primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development
• internal working model

  a mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their  environment e.g with attachment this refers to a person’s expectations about relationships
• continuity hypothesis

  the idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure,trusting and socially confident adults
• why attachment forms

  • Imprinting research led Bowlby to assume that there is similar process in humans
  • Attachment behaviour evolved as it increases a species chance of survival
  • Attachment must occur in two directions,parents must be attached to their infants in order to care for them and thus aid survival.
• critical period

  babies have an innate drive to become attached.This innate behaviour is biological and has a special time period for development.This is around 2-3 years.Infants who do not form attachments in this time frame struggle to form attachments later on.Learning theorists believed food was an important factor in attachment .Mary Ainsworth explored this idea who found that infants that who seemed the most strongly attached were those with responsive,cooperative and accessible mothers.
• social releasers

  occur during the critical period,ensuring that attachment between the infant and caregiver occurs e.g smiling.These are innate mechanisms that explain how attachments to infants form.They elicit a caregiving response.
• monotropy

  Bowlby suggested that infants have one important emotional bond(the primary attachment relationship)This is often the infant’s biological mother but not always.Secondary attachments are also healthy for social development .
• consequences of attachment

  • the importance of montropy is that the infant’s special relationship influences their mental representation of this relationship called an internal working model.
  • In the short term ,this model gives the child an insight into the caregiver’s behaviour and enables the child to influence the caregiver’s behaviour,so a true partnership can be formed.
  • In the long term,it acts as a format for future relationships and generates expectations for healthy relationships.