Bowlby’s theory

Critical period

The time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all.

Internal working model

Our mental representations of the world. This particular model affects our future relationships because it’s carries our perception of what relationships are like.

Monotropic

A term sometimes used to describe Bowlby’s theory. This indicates that one particular attachment is different from all others and of central importance to a child’s development.

Bowlby 1988

Rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment

Looked at the work of Lorenz and Harlow for ideas and proposed an evolutionary explanation - that attachment was an innate system that provides a survival advantage.

Law of continuity

The more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better quality of their attachment

Law of accumulated separation

The effects of every separation from the mother add up and the “safest dose is therefore a zero dose”

Bowlby monotropy

Theory described as monotropic as he had a great emphasis on attachment to one particular caregiver. He believed that the child’s attachment to this caregiver is important than others.

He called this person the mother, doesn’t need to be the biological mother or even a woman. Bowlby that the more time a baby spent with this primary attachment figure the better.

Social releasers

Innate ‘cute’ behaviours like smiling and cooing. Encourages attention from adults and social interaction.

Critical period for attachment

Around 6 months when the attachment system is active.

Bowlby Internal working model for relationships

Bowlby proposed that a child forms a mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure.

A child who experiences loving relationships will expect that all relationships are as loving. However, a child who is treated poorly will expect poor treatment from others and will treat them that way.

A child’s parenting behaviour reflects on their own experiences of being parented.

W Dagan

Infants form lots of attachment relationships. Different qualities for others. Combined quality is a better predictor of later development than the quality of just 1 attachment.

Suggests that Bowlby’s theory may be incorrect

S Brazelton

Supports social releasers. Observed the trigger interactions used by social releasers.

Primary caregivers were told to ignore the baby’s social releasers. Previously responsive babies were more distressed.

Suggests that social releasers are important in attachment development

S Bailey

Relationships in 99 mothers and their one-year-old babies by measuring the mothers’ attachment to their own primary attachment figures.

Mothers with poor attachment had poorly attached babies.

Supports the internal working model

W Other influences

Some psychologists believe that genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect emotional or social behaviour in both babies and adults. These differences could also impact on their parenting ability.

This means that Bowlby may have overstated the importance of the IMW in emotional social behaviour at the expense of the factors