Evaluation on Bowlby's monotropic theory

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P - research support from Brazelton regarding social releasers

Ev - he observed babies interactions with adults using social releasers then asked the adults to ignore the babies’ social releasers. Babies became increasingly distressed and some eventually curled up and lay motionless

Ex - shows the important role of social releasers in emotional development and the role of attachment

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P - research support for the internal working model

Ev - Bailey found that mothers with poor attachment to their own babies is influenced by their internal working models

Ex - therefore this evidence suggests that the internal working model comes from our parents and is continued with our own children as Bowlby predicted

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P - there is conflicting evidence regarding monotropy

Ev - Schaffer and Emerson found a significant minority formed multiple attachments at the same time. This may simply mean it is stronger not necessarily different in quality from other attachments

Ex - this contradicts Bowlby’s idea of monotropy being the unique special attachment

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P - this theory could be socially sensitive

Ev - Burman pointed out that this places a terrible burden of responsibility on mothers, setting them up to take the blame for anything that goes wrong in the rest of the child’s life

Ex - therefore, this suggests how Bowlby’s theory may be socially sensitive in today’s world