Bowlby's monotropic theory

• Lorenz’s research on imprinting led Bowlby to believe that a similar process occurs in humans. Attachment behaviour evolved as it is a survival function, the infants who are less attached and less protected. Our distant ancestors would have been in danger if they didn’t remain close to an adult. It is important that the attachment is in two ways, the parent is also attached to the infant.
• Bowlby also explains how attachments form. He says that infants have a critical period for development in which they must attached or they will have problems forming them later on. He believes the critical period is around 3-6 months. Bowlby proposed, due to influence from Ainsworth, that who the infant attaches to is based on sensitivity. The most securely attached is when mothers are cooperative and caring.
• Bowlby suggested that an important factor in the attachment developing is the social releasers from the infant, such as a smiling face. This helps the adult attach to the infant. Bowlby also proposed the idea of monotropy, which suggests that one special attachment is formed to the main caregiver. This is often the mother, but not always. Infants may also develop secondary attachments which are an important safety net.
• . The importance of monotropy is related to the idea of the internal working model. This forms a basis of what the infant will expect from current relationships, as well as future ones. They create expectations of how a relationship will be. The continuity hypothesis links in with this and suggests that securely attached infants, will go on to be independent and competent.
• Attachment seems to be important for development, however it is questioned if it is important for survival.

  Bowlby suggests that attachments develop around 3 moths, which seems to be quite a late mechanism for infants and our late ancestors. It may have been vital for them to attach straight away to have a better chance of survival. However, when infants start crawling/walking this is now an important time for an attachment to develop which is around 6 months.

  This therefore shows that the theory is adaptive.
• An issue with this theory is the fixed time for the critical period.

  Bowlby suggests that the critical period is when infants must attach, if they don’t, they will find it hard to make an attachment in subsequent relationships. This can be seen as problematic as some infants may attach after the time Bowlby said the critical period is, and have no problems subsequent to this. It is less likely to happen, but it is not impossible.

  Therefore, researchers now prefer to use the term ‘sensitive period’ rather than critical
• Bowlby states that the one attachment has an effect on all subsequent relationships.

  This has been tested in a study where they followed children to adolescence. They found that the more securely attached infants went on to be more competent and have more friends later on. This was the Minnesota parent-child study.

  This supports the continuity hypothesis as there is a link between early and later attachments.
• There is an another explanation for explaining attachment behaviour. The temperament hypothesis says that infants innate emotional personality explains attachment. Infants with an ‘easy’ temperament are more likely to be securely attached compared to those who are more ‘difficult’ as it is easier to interact with 'easy'. This was shown in a study where infants who were judged to have a more ‘difficult’ temperament between 1-3 days old, were more likely to be judged as insecure attachment. However, it may be an interaction between caregiver’s sensitivity and temperament shown by the infant.