Explanation of Attachment: Bowlby's Theory

-great emphasis on one partic caregiver

-believed this was different and more important

-called this the 'mother' but made clear need not be biological

-more time spent with 'mother'/PCG the better

-two principles

1)law of continuity- more constant a child's care, better quality attachment

2)law of accumulated separation- effect of early separation from mother add up

-Bowlby sugg babies born with set of 'innate cute behaviours' that encourge attention of adults.

-e.g. smiling, cooing, gripping

-known as social releasers, bc purpose to activate adult attachment system

-saw this was a reciprocal process, mother+baby social releasers trigger response

-interplay builds the relationship

-proposed critical period of 2 years when attachment system active

-viewed this really as a sensitive period

-child mx sensitive at age of 2 but if not formed b4 this much harder

-proposed child form mental rep of their relationship with PCG

-called internal working model as it serves as model of what relationships are like

-powerful effect on future relationships

-loving experience--> form expectation that all relationships are like this, bring these qualities

-poor treatment--> tend to form poor relationships and expect such treatment or treat others like it

-most importantly affects child's later ability to be parent themsleves.

-tend to base parenting behaviour on own experiences of being parented.

-explains why children from functional families tend to have similar

Mixed evidnece for monotropy

Bowlby said that multiple attachmetns couldn't be formed until this more important attachment had been formed. However Schaffer and Emerson's findings say that yes most form a specific attachment b4 multiple ones but a minority of children formed multiple attachments at the same time.

Montropy is Socially Sensitive Idea

Temperament may be as important as attachment- childs genetically infleunced personailty, this would expalin later social behahiour. Bowlby overemphasised early experieces.

Support for social releasers

• clear evidence of these cute innate behaviours intending to initiate interaction
• Experiment: mothers ignored the babies signals', they became distressed but then curled up in a ball and were lying motionless
• fact that such a strong response, explains signifiicance

Support for internal working model

• it is a very testable idea bc it predicts patterns
• 99 mothers with 1yr old babies on quality of attachment to own mothers.
• also assesed babies attachment to mothers
• found mothers with poor attachment to own mothers more likely to have atatchment to child
• supports idea, being passed through families