Explanations: Bowlby's theory

• Bowlby proposed an evolutionary explanation- that attachment was an innate system that gives a survival advantage. So attachment, like imprinting, evolved as a mechanism to keep young animals safe by ensuring they stay close to adult caregivers.
• Monotropy

  Bowlby's theory is described as monotropic because he placed great emphasis on a child's attachment to 1 particular caregiver. He believed that the child's attachment to this one caregiver is different and more important than others.

  Bowlby believed the more time a baby spent with this mother-figure (primary attachment figure) the better.

  • law of continuity= the more constant and predictable a child's care, the better the quality of their attachment.
  • law of accumulated separation= the effects of every separation from the mother adds up.
• social releasers

  Bowlby suggested that babies are born with a set of innate behaviours (smiling, cooing, gripping) that encourage attention from adults.

  • Their purpose is to activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attach to the baby.
  • Recognised that attachment was a reciprocal process.
• critical period

  = the time which an attachment must form if its to form at all.

  Around 6 months when an infant attachment system is active.

  Bowlby viewed this as more of a sensitive period.
• Internal working model

  = our mental representations of the world.

  • a child whose 1st experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to form an expectation that all relationships are as loving and reliable and they will bring these qualities to future relationships.
  • affects a child's later ability to be a parent themselves. People tend to base their parenting behaviour on their own experiences of being parented.
• Evaluation- validity of monotropy challenged

  Limitation= concept of monotropy lacks validity.

  Shaffer and Emerson found that although most babies did attach to one person at first, a significant minority formed multiple attachments at the same time.

  • although the 1st attachment does appear to have a particularly strong influence on later behaviour, this may simply mean it is stronger, not necessarily different in quality from other attachments.
  • So Bowlby may be incorrect that there is a unique quality and importance to the child's primary attachment.
• Evaluation- support for social releasers

  Clear evidence that cute baby behaviour are designed to elicit interaction from caregivers.

  • Brazelton observed babies trigger interaction with adults using social releasers. The researchers then instructed the babies primary attachment figures ignore their babies social releasers.
  • Babies became increasingly distressed and some eventually curled up and lay motionless.
  • this illustrates the role of social releasers in emotional development and suggests they are important in the process of attachment development.
• Evaluation- support for internal working model

  It predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed to next generation

  • Heidi Bailey assessed attachment relationships in 99 mothers and their 1 year old babies. They also measured the mothers attachment to their own primary attachment figures. Also assessed the attachment quality of the babies.
  • found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies.
  • supports idea that mothers ability to form attachments to their babies is influenced by their internal working models.
• Evaluation- counterpoint

  There are other important influences on social development. Eg: some psychologists believe that genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect social behaviour in both babies and adults. These differences could also impact their parenting ability.

  • means that Bowlby may have overstated the importance of the internal working model in social behaviour and parenting at the expense of other factors.