Bowlby’s Theory

• Bowlbys Theory-

  Monotropy (1958-69)-

  • The idea that there is 1 CG that has a stronger relationship than the others, often the mother.
  • Law of continuity- the more constant and predictable a child’s care is the better quality of the attachment.
  • Law of accumulated separation- every separation with the mother adds up, meaning that no separation is best (1975).
• Bowlbys theory-

  Monotropy (1958-69)

  S- Real-world application in day cares for care workers who build attachments with certain babies.

  W- Lacks validity (Schaffer and Emerson found that a lot of babies formed attachments with many people not just 1, but 1 is stronger than the rest).
• Bowlbys theory-

  Social releases/critical period-

  • Babies have social releases which are cute innate behaviours (smiling, cooing) due to their purpose being to get an adult's attention and attachment reciprocity.
  • Critical period around 6 months when the infants attachment system is active, making the child sensitive till around 2 years old, if an attachment isn’t formed in this time the child will find it harder to form one later. 
• Bowlbys theory-

  Social releasers/critical period-

  S- Support for the role of social releasers (Brazelton  states that the innate behaviours are to get the adults attention, when not received they get upset) are important.

  S- Real-world application in day cares for care workers who build attachments with certain babies.
• Bowlbys Theory-

  Internal working model-

  • Relationship with their primary attachment figure serves as a model for what relationships are like.
  • A loving and reliable relationship with CG makes the child tend to form expectations of this in all relationships, while bringing them also.
  • Poor treatment will tend to form poorer relationships, where they expect and give poor treatment to others.
  • Parenting abilities come from how they were parented, explaining why someone from a functional family tend to bring up a functional family.
• Bowlbys Theory-

  Internal working model-

  CPS- Bailey supports the IWM with the 99 mothers experiment, measuring the attachment to their own mothers and between the baby (1yr) and mother finding that the relationship was the same.

  CPW- Other things impact social development like genetics.

  S- Real-world application in day cares for care workers who build attachments with certain babies.