Explanations of Attachment - Bowlbys Monotropic Theory
Bowlby was heavily influenced by animal studies , including Harlows research with monkeys and Lorenzs research with geese , this led him to reject learning theory
Bowlby applied the findings of these animal studies to suggest that emotional bonds had evolutionary functions
He saw attachment bonds as developing during the pleistocene era ( stone age ) . Humans faced the constant danger of predators and so attachments via the process of natural selection to ensure that offspring stayed close to caregivers
Through evolution infants became genetically programmed to behave towards their mothers in ways that increased their survival chances
These innate social releases include :
Crying - to attract parents attention
Looking , smiling and vocalising - to maintain parental attention and interest
Following and clinging - to gain and maintain proximity to parents
Infants display social releases from a very early stage and they occur in an automatic , stereotyped way to begin with and at first are triggered by many people
During the first year social releases become focused on a few individuals and therefore become organised into more flexible and sophisticated behaviour systems
However attachments only form if carers respond to infant attachment behaviours in a meaningful way . Bowlby believed that the evolution of attachment behaviours involved a complementary system between infants and their carers , whereas carers would respond to infants signals in a meaningful way
Bowlby saw this as generally occurring between infants and their biological mothers however he admitted that occasionally this could be with the father or a non biological figure
Overall bowlby saw attachment functioning as a control system to maintain proximity to mothers . When this state occurs , attachment behaviour is 'quiet' as infants have no need to cry or cling and so they can get on with playing and exploring ( aids mental health and social development )
When the state of 'quiet' attachment is threatened , such as when the mother disappears from view , attachment behaviours are activated to restore it
Generally attachment behaviours are seen when children are upset , ill , scared or in strange surroundings : which particular responses are produced change as children grow and become more competent cognitively and behaviourally
Bowlby believed that there is a critical period for the formation of attachments , whereby attachment behaviours between infant and carer must occur within a certain time period if children are to form attachments .
He saw attachment behaviours as useless for most children if delayed until after 12 months and useless for all children if delayed until after 2 and a half to 3 years
Bowlby sees attachments as monotropic , whereby infants have an innate tendency to become attached to the one particular adults who interacts with them the most sensitively , usually the biological mother
He thought that this attachment is unique as it is the first to develop and is the strongest of them all . This forms a model for relationships , which the infant will expect from others
This is known as the internal working model , a template for future relationships based upon the infants primary attachment , which creates a consistency between early emotional experiences and later relationships
Bowlby claimed that mother love in infancy is as important to mental health and vitamin and proteins are to physical health
Bowlby acknowledged that infants could form attachments to other specific people , he saw these as secondary attachments . For bowlby , attachment was a hierarchy with the prime attachment at the top and secondary attachments of minor importance below
Schaffer and Emerson ( 1964 ) found that multiple attachments are the norm , which goes against bowlbys idea of montropy , as does the fact that 39% of children had their primary attachment to someone other than their mother
Lorenz ( 1935 ) found that certain animals have an innate tendency to respond immediately and consistently to specific forms of stimuli , like visual markings or sounds , usually displayed by a parent .They are attracted to these stimuli and will follow anyone displaying such stimuli and seem content when near them and distressed when not . This suggests that innate pre-programming provides an evolutionary advantage , as by staying close to such individuals , newborn animals are safer from predators and environmental danger . Supports bowlbys evolutionary theory
Rutter ( 1981 ) found that mothers are not special in the way bowlby believed . Infants display a range of attachment behaviours towards attachments figures other than their mothers and there is no particular attachment behaviour used specifically and exclusively to mothers
Lamb ( 1982 ) studied the attachments infants had with people like fathers , grandparents and siblings and found that infants had different attachments for different purposes rather than attachments being a hierarchy . Eg children go to fathers for play
Evaluation
Research evidence supports the continuity hypothesis , that there is a consistency between early attachment types and later relationships in line with bowlbys theory
Although schaffer and emerson found that children formed multiple attachments , they also found that they tended to have one primary attachment
The theory has been used by right wing political figures as scientific proof that women should be at home mothering children and not at work with their children at daycare
Imprinting applies to many precocial animals and as humans are altricial , imprinting may not relate to them
The idea that attachment is a form of human imprinting suggests that mere exposure to another is sufficient for an attachment to develop . However shaffer and emerson found that attachments occurred mainly with individuals displaying sensitive responsiveness , which goes against this idea
Bowlby sees fathers as minor attachments figures but research suggests that fathers can be attachment figures in their own right
