Explanations of attachment: Bowlby’s theory.
Spec says, ‘Explanations of attachment: Bowlby’s monotropic theory. The concepts of a
critical period and an internal working model.
Key terms:
- Monotropic = a term sometimes used to describe Bowlby’s theory. Mono means ‘one’
and tropic means ‘leaning towards’. This indicates that one particular attachment is
different from all the others and of central importance to a child’s development.
- Critical period = the time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all.
Bowlby extended the ideas noted by Lorenz and Harlow about a critical period,
proposing that human babies have a sensitive period after which it will be much
more difficult to form an attachment.
- Internal working model = our mental representations of the world, the
representation we have of our relationship to our primary attachment figure. This
model affects what our future relationships are like.
Bowlby’s monotropic theory.
- Bowlby rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment because, as he
said, ‘were it true, an infant of a year or two should take readily to who ever feeds
him and this is clearly not the case’.
- Instead, Bowlby looked at the work done by Lorenz and Harlow for ideas and
proposed an evolutionary explanation, that attachment was an innate system that
gives a survival advantage.
o 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,ent to one particular caregiver.
- He beilved that the child’s attachment to this one caregiver is different and more
important than others. Bowlby called this person the mother but it was clear that
this person did not need to be the biological mother.
- Bowlby believed that the more time the baby spent with the mother figure (or
primary attachment figure) as we usually call them now, the better.
- He put forward two principles to clarify this:
o The law of continuity, stated that the more constant and predictable a child’s
care, the better the quality of their attachment.
o The law of accumulated separation, stated that the effects of every
separation from the mother adds up “and the safest dose is therefore no
dose”.
Spec says, ‘Explanations of attachment: Bowlby’s monotropic theory. The concepts of a
critical period and an internal working model.
Key terms:
- Monotropic = a term sometimes used to describe Bowlby’s theory. Mono means ‘one’
and tropic means ‘leaning towards’. This indicates that one particular attachment is
different from all the others and of central importance to a child’s development.
- Critical period = the time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all.
Bowlby extended the ideas noted by Lorenz and Harlow about a critical period,
proposing that human babies have a sensitive period after which it will be much
more difficult to form an attachment.
- Internal working model = our mental representations of the world, the
representation we have of our relationship to our primary attachment figure. This
model affects what our future relationships are like.
Bowlby’s monotropic theory.
- Bowlby rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment because, as he
said, ‘were it true, an infant of a year or two should take readily to who ever feeds
him and this is clearly not the case’.
- Instead, Bowlby looked at the work done by Lorenz and Harlow for ideas and
proposed an evolutionary explanation, that attachment was an innate system that
gives a survival advantage.
o 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,ent to one particular caregiver.
- He beilved that the child’s attachment to this one caregiver is different and more
important than others. Bowlby called this person the mother but it was clear that
this person did not need to be the biological mother.
- Bowlby believed that the more time the baby spent with the mother figure (or
primary attachment figure) as we usually call them now, the better.
- He put forward two principles to clarify this:
o The law of continuity, stated that the more constant and predictable a child’s
care, the better the quality of their attachment.
o The law of accumulated separation, stated that the effects of every
separation from the mother adds up “and the safest dose is therefore no
dose”.
