Bowlby’s Monotropic theory

• what is monotrophy?

  • where infants form one special attachment with their primary attachment figure, most frequently the mother
  • if mother is not available, infant can bond with another ever-present adult known as a mother substitute
• Bowlby believed the more time with the mother of p.a.f the better. What were the two principles he put forward?

  • Law of Continuity - the more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment
  • Law of accumulated separation - the effects of every separation from the mother add up and ‘the safest does is therefore zero dose’
• what are social releasors?

  what babies have which unlock an innate tendency in adults to take care of an infant

  • Bowlby recognise attachment was a reciprocal process, both mother and baby are 'hard-wired' to become attached
  • social releasors are - physical (typical 'baby face', features that make babies appear cute such as chubby cheeks and a button nose, behavioural (crying, cooing, smiling to get attention)
• what is a critical period?

  around 6 months when the infant attachment system is active

  • Bowlby later acknowledged this is a more sensitive period and can extend up to the age of 2
  • if an attachment is not formed in this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later and would lead to a child being damaged for life; socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically
• what is an internal working model?

  an internal template for future relationships expectations

  • if a child has a strong and healthy attachment with their primary attachment figure, then they use this as a template and develop strong and healthy relationships later in life
  • this concept is also seen if a child has a negative relationship with their primary caregiver
• how does the internal working model affect a child?

  • affects the childs later ability to be a parent themselves, people tend to base parenting behaviours on their own experiences of being parented, this explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves
• what is research evidence that supports Bowlby's theory of attachment?

  • Lorenz (support) - critical period and demonstrates that geese are born with behaviours which help them to survive
  • however, developmental psychologists often prefer to use the term sensitive period as attachments have been shown to develop beyond optimal window of opportunity
• how is the validity of Bowlby's monotrophy challenged?

  • Schaffer & Emerson (1964) found that although most babies did attach to one person at first, a significant minority formed multiple attachments at the same time, these relationships can provide all the same key qualities (emotional support, a safe base etc...)
  • this means that Bowlby may be incorrect in claiming that there is a unique quality and importance to the child's primary attachment
• what evidence is there for support of social releasors?

  • Bazelton et al (1975) observed babies engaging in reciprocity with adults using social releasors
  • In the 'still face' experiment (Tronick) where primary attachment figures were instructed to ignore their babies social releasors, babies became increasingly distressed and some eventually curled up and lay motionless
  • illustrates the role of social releasors in emotional development and suggests that they are important in the process of attachment development
• what evidence is there for support of the internal working model?

  • Bailey et al (2007) assessed attachment relationships in 99 mothers and their one-year old babies
  • researchers measured the mothers' attachment to their own parents and to their babies
  • found mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figure were more likely to have poorly attached babies
• how is Bowlby's research socially sensitive?

  • laws of continuity & accumulated separation suggest mothers who work may negatively affect their childs emotional development
  • feminists point out that this belief sets up mothers to take the blame for anything that goes wrong for their child in the future
  • it also suggests that mothers should not work and stay at home to care for the babies (though Bowlby himself never suggested this)
• what are the real world applications of Bowlby's research?

  • others argue that Bowlby's work has been influential in highlighting the important role of the mother - something that had been ignored in the past
  • Bowlby's ideas also have many RWA, such as key workers in day care who build an attachment with particular babies and young children