Bowlby’s monotropic theory

• Evolution

  • Useful features are introduced into a species
  • Features are useful if they help the animal survive long enough to successfully reproduce
  • To survive and reproduce, animals need to be well adapted to their environment.
  • therefore useful features are said to be adaptive.
• Monotropic theory

  • Bowlby put forward an important theory of attachment, based on the work of ethologists (scientists who study animal behaviour)
  • Bowlby was inspired by the work of Lorenz and Harlow and proposed the evolutionary theory of attachment
  • he saw humans being just like other animals- attachment is an innate system that promotes survival.
• Concept in the monotropic theory

  • Monotropy
  • Social releasers
  • Critical period
  • Internal working model
• Monotropy

  • A concept that infants have an innate capacity to attach primarily to one caregiver.
• Monotropy

  • Bowlby’s suggested that this primary attachment is the most important
  • Bowlby identified that this is the mother, but made it clear it does not have to be the biological mother
  • He suggests that it is beneficial for the infant to spend a significant amount of time with the primary attachment figure.
• Law of continuity


  The more predictable and consistent a child’s care is, the better the quality of their attachment
• Law of accumulated separation


  All separations from the mother add, therefore zero separation is best.
• Critical period

  • Innate behaviours usually have a special time period for the development of an attachment.
  • Around 6 months, is when the infant attachment system is active
  • Bowlby suggested the critical period is around 2 years for humans.
  • He also suggested that this can also be called a sensitive period- if an attachment does not form by this time, then it will be difficult to form an attachment in the future.
• Internal working model

  • Infants develop a mental representation of their first attachment relationship
  • he proposed that this representation which he called ‘internal working model’ has a profound influence on the way the child relates to people and acts as a parent in later life.
• How does the internal working model influence the child?

  • The IWM affects the child’s later ability to be parents themselves.
  • People tend to base their parenting behaviour on their own experiences of being parented.
  • This explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves.
• Outline Bowlby’s theory of attachment

  • Suggests attachment is important for a child’s survival
  • Attachment behaviours in both babies and their caregivers have evolved through natural selection
  • infants are innately programmed to form an attachment
  • This is a biological process and takes place during a critical period
  • Role of social releases, such as crying and smiling
  • Child’s relationship with PCG provides an internal working model which influences later relationships.
  • Montropy- only one relationship which is more important to the rest.
• Support for internal working model

  • Bailey et al, tested the idea that patterns of attachment are passed on through generations due to IWM. He found that mothers with poor attachments to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies.
  • According to evidence, mothers who had bad quality attachments used their experience as a model on what relationships are like.
  • This shows that early attachments have an effect on future relationships.
• Support for social releasers

  • Brazelton et al, observed babies trigger interaction with adults using social releases. The researchers then instructed the babies primary attachment figure to ignore their babies’ social releasers. Babies became increasingly distressed and some eventually curled up and lay motionless.
  • This evidence shows that cute baby behaviours are designed to elicit interaction from caregivers.
  • This illustrates the role of social releasers in the emotional development and are important in the process of attachment development.
• Learning theory as an alternative explanation

  • Learning theorists argue that attachments are formed through classical and operant conditioning.
  • Learning theorists have proposed that attachments develop due to an association between CG and food. Crying is learnt through negative reinforcement as the baby cries when hungry and stops once fed. Next time, in order to prevent discomfort and hunger they will cry again.
  • This suggests that forming an attachment may not be an innate mechanism as proposed by the monotropic theory, but in fact infants learn from experience.
• Monotropy is a socially sensitive concept

  • Feminists like Burman, proposed that the monotropic theory places a huge burden on responsibility of mothers.
  • law of accumulate separation suggests that having a significant time away from a primary attachment figure could result in poor-quality attachment. Which puts a burden on women to make certain lifestyle choices.
  • Researchers need to be careful with theories they propose as it could result in negative social consequences.
• What are social releasers?

  • Babies are born with innate cute behaviours and Features called social releasers.
  • They are designed to elicit a caregiving response in others.
  • E.g smiling, cooing and gripping
  • The purpose is to initiate the adults attachment system.
  • It is adaptive for babies to display these behaviours as it ensures their own survival.