Bolwby's Monotropic Thoery

• What is John Bowlby’s attachment theory?

  proposes that infants have an innate drive to seek proximity and contact with their primary caregiver(s) as a means of survival.

  This attachment bond serves as a secure base from which children can explore their environment.
• Continuity hypothesis


  the idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure,trusting and socially confident adults
• Critical period

  a biologically determined period of time,during which certain characteristics can develop
• Internal working model


  a mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their  environment e.g with attachment, this refers to a person’s expectations about relationships
• Montropy

  the idea that the one relationship an infant has with their primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development
• Social releaser


  a social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment
• bowlby’s monotropic theory:

  Why attachment forms:

  
  

  -Similar process like Imprinting in humans

  
  

  -Attachment behaviour evolved as it increases a species chance of survival

  
  

  -Attachment must occur in two directions, parents must be attached to their infants in order to care for them and thus aid survival.
• bowlby’s monotropic theory (1956)

  How attachment forms:

  
  

  babies have an innate drive to become attached. This innate behaviour is biological and has a special time period for development (around 2-3 years).

  Infants who do not form attachments in this time frame struggle to form attachments later on.
• examples of social releasers:

  clinging, sucking, smiling and cuddling
• The consequences of attachment:

  -the importance of monotropy is that the infant’s special relationship influences their mental representation of this relationship called an internal working model.

  
  

  -In the short term ,this model gives the child an insight into the caregiver’s behaviour and enables the child to influence the caregiver’s behaviour, so a true partnership can be formed.

  
  

  -In the long term, it acts as a format for future relationships and generates expectations for healthy relationships.
• How can Bowlby’s theory be applied in real-world settings?

  used to inform parenting practices, attachment-based therapies, and interventions for children who have experienced trauma or disruptions in attachment.
• What are some criticisms of Bowlby’s theory of attachment?

  • Bowlby’s theory is overly focused on the mother-child relationship and doesn’t account for the role of other caregivers or social factors in attachment.
  • some have questioned the universality of the theory, as attachment patterns may differ across cultures and contexts.
• two key principles that illustrate the importance of monotropy:

  the law of continuity: states that the more constant and predictable a child's care, the better the quality of attachment

  
  

  
  

  the law of accumulated separation: stated that the effects of every separation from the mother add up. 'the safest does is therefore a zero dose'
• Strengths of Bowlby's Monotropic Theory

  • Lorenz's gosling experiment supports the idea of attachment being innate as the geese attach so quickly
  • There is biological evidence for the critical period: a developing fetus needs to have developed limbs by day 28
  • Continuity is supported by Hazan and Shaver- Love Quiz as well as Sroufe's study of women raised in institutions and the issues they face with child-rearing

  Ainsworth (1967) supports the idea of monotropy from her Uganda study as she found the infants there also attached to one main figure
• Weaknesses of Bowlby's Monotropic Theory


  • Rutter (1998) found that children in his Romanian orphanage study were able to attach at ages well above 3. Therefore, the term was changed to the sensitive period
  • Thomas (1998) argues that a range of carers for the infant makes more sense as they can assist with both development and protection
  • Van Ijzendoorn (1987) also argues that other people can enrich the infant's life
  • Others can assist with the child in ways the mother may not be able to