BOWLBYS THEORY

• What does bowlby say about attachment?

  Attachment is an innate system that gives a survival advantage
• what is monotropic attachment?

  having a primary attachment figure, Bowlby places emphasis on the child’s attachment to one caregiver, this one is more important and different from others and the more time spent with attachment figure the better
• what is the law of continuity


  the more constant a child’s care the better the quality of attachment
• what is the law of accumulated separation?

  the effects of every separation add up and worsen attachment
• What does ASCMI stand for?

  Adaptive

  Social Releasers

  Critical Period

  Monotropy

  Internal Working Model
• what is adaptive attachment?

  forming an attachment helps survival and gives an adaptive advantage, they are kept safe, given food and warm

  eg Rooting - infants head turns to mothers cheek
• what are social releasers?


  babies are born with set of innate ’cute’ behaviours which activate adult social interaction for example ‘baby face’, crying, cooing, smiling
• what is the critical period?

  for about about 2 years the infant attachment system is active and they have to form an attachment by this time. if they don’t form an attachment then the child will be damaged socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically
• what is the internal working model

  the first attachment forms this, special model for future relationships, which are determined on their early attachment relationships
• limitation of Bowlbys theory

  concept of monotropy lacks validity - relationship with primary figure may just be stronger rather than different
• strengths of bowlbys theory


  supporting evidence-

  Brazelton et al social releasers, primary figure told to ignore, babies showed distress but eventually lay curled up, motionless. supports significance of social releasers

  Bailey et al internal working model, patterns of attachment passed through generations. 99 mums with poor attachment to own parents were more likely to have 1 year olds who were poorly attached. supports bowlby