Bowlby

Bowlby

1. Monotropic theory

   • Monotropy: primary attachment has special emotional role and secondary attachments provide a safety net
   • Internal working model
     • Acts as a template for future relationships creating continuity
       • In the short term it gives the child insight into caregiver behaviour and enables child to influence caregiver behaviour so a true partnership can be formed
   • How attachment forms
     • Critical period attachments formed around 3-6 months afterwards this becomes increasingly difficult
   • Social releaser
     • A social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment
   • Evaluation
     • Attachment is adaptive
       • Depends on the species
       • Is an important emotional development but may be less critical for survival
     • Multiple attachments
       • Bowlby's theories aren't contradictory as secondary attachments contribute to a single internal working model
     • Bowlby says shouldn't be able to form attachments after 3-6 months but this isn't impossible
       • Sensitive period
     • Temperament hypothesis
       • Kagan suggested that innate emotional personality determines attachment

2. Theory of maternal deprivation

   • Value of maternal care
     • Children need a warm intimate and continuous relationship with a mother or mother substitute
   • Critical period
     • Frequent and/or prolonged separations from a mother will have negative effects if they occur before the age of 2.5 (critical period) or 5 (sensitive period)
   • Key study: 44 juvenile thieves
     • 86% of affection less thieves had frequent separations before 2 compared with 17% of other thieves and 2% of the control group
   • Law of continuity
     • the more constant and predictable the Childs care the better the quality of attachment
   • Law of accumulated separation
     • The effects of every separation from the mother adds up and the safest dose is therefore a zero dose
   • Evaluation
     • Physical and emotional separation
       • Even though the mother is physically present may be unable to provide suitable emotional care
         • If mothers are depressed the child is more likely to be insecurely attached
     • Support for long term effects
       • Creates vulnerability
         • More likely to experience mental health problems in the future
     • Real-world application
       • Had impact of post war thinking about childrearing
         • Children were separated from their parents in hospital
           • Led to major social change in the way children were cared for in hospital
     • Individual differences
       • Noot all children are. affected by emotional disruption in the same well
     • Deprivation vs privation
       • Bowlby criticised because didn't make it clear whether the Childs attachment bond had been formed but broken or never formed at all
         • Privation is where child fails to develop bond
         • Deprivation is where the bond is formed but through prolonged or traumatic separations is disrupted or lost