BOWLBY’S EVOLUTIONARY THEORY OF ATTACHMENT

Bowlby suggested that attachment is an innate process that serves an important evolutionary function:

– it is the change in the inherited characteristics of an organism over time
– characteristics that are adaptive will be passed onto the next generation

How does this explain attachment?

• Attachment between infant and caregiver is a prime example of how a behaviour pattern is rooted in biology and evolution

• Attachment behaviour has become programmed into human beings, and I found to operate similarly in almost all cultures

• The purpose and function of attachment is the same regardless of ethnic cultural differences:
  – to keep the baby close to the caregiver for safety and protection; to allow the child to explore and learn within a safe context
  – to develop a loving and reciprocal relationship which can be passed on through generations

MAIN PRINCIPLES OF BOWLBY’S THEORY (explanations)

• Monotropy – the notion that infants form one main attachment
• Internal working model – attachments provide an IWM / template of expectations for the infant
• Critical period – infants need to attach within a critical period (before 2.5 years) or they may face lasting negative consequences
• Social releasers – innate, infant social behaviours that stimulate adult interaction and caregiving

Monotropy:

Bowlby believed it was better for a baby to spend as much time as they could with their primary attachment figure:
Law of continuity – the more constant and predictable a child’s care is,
the better quality of their attachment

Law of accumulated separation – the effects of every separation from the
mother add up, so “the safest dose is
therefore a zero dose” – Bowlby

Social Releasers:

• Babies are born with innate ‘cute’ behaviours such as smiling, cooing and gripping
• He recognised that attachment was reciprocal as adults have a predisposition to become attached – social releasers trigger that response in caregivers

Critical period:

• There is a critical period from 2.5 years old where the attachment system is active
• It is thought that if an attachment is not formed within this time, it will be difficult for a child to form an attachment later

Internal Working Model:

• A cognitive framework used to understand the world, self, and others, that acts as a template for future relationships based on an infant’s primary attachment 
• He suggests that children form a mental representative of their relationship with their primary caregiver – serves as a model for what relationships are like
• IWM will impact on friendships and relationships as well as the child’s ability to parent themselves – as they base their parenting behaviours on their own experience

Evaluation

Strengths:

• The theory has real life applications in hospitals – midwives and hospitals can tell mothers that the intimate relationship is very important and can therefore support it

• Hazen and Shaver (1987) – used the ‘love quiz’ and found a strong relationship between childhood attachment and adulthood attachment – evidence to support the IWM reflected in their future

• Brazelton et al (1975) – observed mothers and babies during their interactions and found that interactional synchrony existed – evidence for social releases as it shows the importance of attention due to attachment – when babies were ignored, they were distressed

Weaknesses:

• Monotropy is a socially sensitive ideas – it has major implication for the lifestyle choices mothers make when their children are young – such as jobs and hobbies – may feel the need to quit their job, therefore promoting mothers to change their lifestyle

• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) – found that children are able to form multiple attachments at the same time – suggests feeding isn’t the primary explanation for attachment – goes against Bowlby’s theory

• Lamb (1987) – found that infants had different attachments for different purposes – goes against the idea of who would react to each social releaser as they are different purposes

• Although Lorenz’s findings support the idea that we have innate attachment behaviours, he found that geese imprint on the first moving objects they see, suggesting they are ‘pre-programmed’ to form an attachment – contradicts monotropy theory, suggesting that attachment isn’t innate

Exam Questions

Q1) Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment (8 marks)

Q2) Outline and evaluate one or more explanations for attachment (16 marks)
Relate back to previous notes

Q3) Briefly outline Bowlby’s theory of attachment (6 marks)

Q4) Explain what is meant by the ‘Internal Working Model’ (2 marks)