Bowlby's theory of attachment

• Continuity hypothesis


  the idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and sociable as adults and infants who do not form secure attachments develop insecure attachment styles and may struggle forming close relationships as adults
• Critical period


  A biologically determined period of time during which strong attachments are believed to form, according to Bowlby this is at 3-6 months. If an attachment is not formed then, infants tend to struggle to form future attachments
• Bowlby proposed attachments form as a survival advantage and are innate. Imprinting and attachments evolve because they ensure infants stay close to their caregivers and they are protected from hazards and given basic survival needs such as food.
• Monotropy


  The idea that an infant attaches to one primary figure who is extremely significant for their emotional development
• Bowlby's theory is described as monotropic as he believes infants attach to one specific caregiver. He believed the child's attachment to this caregiver was the most important, the primary attachment figure was with who spent the most time with the child.

  • the more constant and predictable a child's care, the better the attachment
• Social releasers

  A social behaviour such as smiling or laughing which elicits care giving, leading to an attachment, social releasers are innate mechanisms and explain how caregivers attach to infants
• Bowlby believed children form a mental representation of their relationship with their primary caregiver. This theory is called the internal working model, an infant's future relationships are dependent on their early experiences with their primary caregiver as they model what a relationship should be like.
• An infant who experiences a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver likely expects all future relationships to be loving and reliable, they also bring these qualities to future relationships

  An infant whose primary attachment relationship was one of poor treatment will tend to form further poor relationships in the future, and expect others to treat them poorly or treat others in that way
• The internal working model also affects the infant's later ability to parent themselves. People tend to parent themselves in the same way as their parents did. For example, a child from a functional family is likely to have a functional family themselves.
• A03 Bowlby

  Attachment is adaptive


  Attachments develop emotionally, but are also critical for survival, attachments for humans develop at 3 months but for animals such as monkeys develop as soon as they are born

  The time attachments develop may be due to features of a species' life. Humans do not need to cling to their mothers (as monkeys do) as human mothers carry their infants. Infants start crawling at around 6 months and develop attachments at this time (for survival).

  This supports the idea attachments are adaptive and emotional
• AO3 Bowlby

  A sensitive period rather than critical


  Bowlby says no attachments can be formed outside the critical period, Rutter challenges this.

  Rutter found Romanian infants who were orphans and spent infancy in institutions were able to develop attachments with their adoptive families. These attachments however formed slowly, the later in life the children were adopted, the slower the attachments formed.

  This research suggests there is a "sensitive period" where attachments form the fastest, but not a critical period as Bowlby suggested
• AO3 Bowlby

  Multiple attachments VS monotropy

  The multiple attachment theory challenges Bowlby's theory of monotropy

  Research by Schaffer and Emerson shows secondary relationships contribute to social development, a healthy development requires a primary caregiver but also secondary attachments.

  E.g. Fathers form a critical part of our development

  We don't just form one primary attachment and this is the basis of our development, but we form multiple
• AO3 Bowlby

  Continuity hypothesis support

  The Minnesota parent-child study followed ppts from infancy to adolescence and found early attachments effected social behaviours. Individuals who developed with securely attached relationships grew up to be more social, popular and empathetic.

  This supports the continuity hypothesis, early attachments form secure attachments
• AO3 Bowlby

  An alternate explanation

  The influence of infants on characteristics

  Some infants may form secure attachments due to innate social, friendly tendencies. It may be due to innate characteristics rather than caregiver sensitivity.

  E.g A child may be innately vulnerable to stress so acts differently

  Belsky and Rovine found infants who showed signs of behavioural instability were less likely to be securely attached to their mother

  This offers an alternative explanation of how attachments form