Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory
- Learning explanations of attachment have been discredited by a wealth of research conducted on both human and non-human animals
- Bowlby took a different approach to explain attachment, taking a more evolutionary approach
- He believed that attachment was so important, that it could not be left for humans to learn and so was something we are born with
- We are pre-programmed to attach and become attached to our offspring as it is vital to our survival
- This need we have to form one main attachment is known as Monotropy
The Key ideas in Bowlby's monotropic theory
| Concept | Definition |
| Innate |
This is the idea that we are born with the ability to attach It is too important to be left to chance or to be learnt If we do not attach to our PCG then as infants, we die out If we do not attach to our offspring then they die and so does our genetic survival |
| Critical Period |
This is the period we must form an attachment within Bowlby believes it to be from 9 months to 3 years If an attachment does not form during this time, then the infant will never form one This will lead to long-lasting psychological and even physical damage Later changed to the Sensitive period as it is now felt to be ideal but not essential Research has shown attachments can develop later in childhood |
| Continuity |
This is the idea that the attachment you have in your infancy will impact later relationships Securely attached children tend to grow up to have more stable relationships See early attachments/later relationships |
| Social releasers |
These are behaviours that the infant will perform to attract attention Examples include laughing, crying, giggling, gurgling etc Although similar to the Learning theory idea of reinforced behaviour, Bowlby believes that these are innate |
|
Internal working model |
This is a schema (packet or bundle of knowledge) that you hold about yourself It is an internal representation you have of yourself It will govern how you feel about yourself and your relationships with others |
| Monotropy |
This is the idea that you only ever really form one main attachment in the life It will be your initial attachment with your PCG and will form the template for all future attachments The opposite idea is that of Multiple Attachments |
Exam Tip
If you are asked to outline and evaluate Bowlby's monotropic theory, think about the parts of the theory that are easier to evaluate when planning your AO1. Continuity and Critical period are easier to evaluate as they either have evidence to support (Continuity) or are problematic (Critical Period). If you don't feel confident explaining Internal Working Model (IWM)- then leave it. Unless the question specifically asks about it, it may be best to mention but not discuss. If you get muddled explaining IWM you may lose more marks than if you left it out completely: It all depends on the question.
Evaluation of Bowlby's monotropic theory
| Strengths | Limitation |
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There is a wealth of evidence to support these ideas
Ainsworth (1967) supports the idea of monotropy from her Uganda study as she found the infants there also attached to one main figure |
The critical period was found to be a little too strict and now it is seen as an ideal, but children can attach later
Some feel that monotropy may be given too much importance as a theory
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