monotropic theory

• Bowlby (1969) proposed that attachment was important for survival. It is likely that humans have evolved in such a way that infants are born with an innate tendency to form an attachment
• Attachments give our species an adaptive advantage, making us more likely to survive. This is because if an infant has an attachment to a caregiver, they are kept safe, given food and kept warm. Basic needs are met
• Babies have social releasers, which ‘unlock’ the innate tendency of adults to care for them
• Bowlby said that babies have to form an attachment with their caregiver during a critical period (between birth and 2 ½ years old). If this didn’t happen, the child would be negatively impacted for life - physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.
• Bowlby believed that infants form one very special attachment with their mother. This special intense attachment is called monotropy
• Internal working model - this is a template or blueprint for future relationships
• Brazleton et al observed mothers and babies during their interactions, reporting the existence of interactional synchrony. They asked mothers to ignore social releasers, which distressed the infants and this shows the importance of social releasers in development of attachment
• Bailey et al assessed 99 mothers with 1 year olds on the quality of attachment to their own mothers and to their infants through standard interviews and observation. They found that mothers who reported poor attachments to their own parents were much more likely to have children with poor attachments. This supports Bowlby’s idea that internal working models are passed down through families.
• monotropy is a socially sensitive idea and has implications for the lifestyle choices mothers make when their children are young. Law of accumulated separation states that having substantial time apart from primary caregiver, risks poor quality attachment. Feminists like Erica Burman pointed out this places a terrible burden of responsibility on mothers
• Koluchova (1976) reported the case of twin boys from Czechoslovakia who were isolated from the age of 18 months until they were seven years old (their step-mother kept them locked in a cupboard). After they were looked after by two loving adults and appeared to recover fully. This show that the period identified may be a ‘sensitive’ one but it cannot be critical