Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment. Compare with the learning
theory of attachment in your answer. (8 marks)
Bowlby’s monotropic theory describes attachment as adaptive and innate, necessary for
evolutionary survival. The idea of monotropy is that an infant must create a primary
attachment to one person (usually the mother) that is more important than all other
attachments. This must be done within the critical period (2 years), and any time spent away
from mother within this period would have a detrimental effect on the child’s development
(law of accumulated separation). He also argued that the first attachment with mum created
the internal working model, a kind of schema or mental template for what the child expects
all future relationships to be like. A poor attachment with mum could lead to a negative
internal working model and poor relationships in later life (law of continuity).
Finally, Bowlby argued the importance of social releasers, cues such as smiling or laughing
that trigger communication between mum and baby, are necessary for creating a strong
attachment. This opposes the learning theory of attachment, which suggests is only the
association through classical and operant conditioning of mum and milk that creates the
attachment (cupboard love), and the sensitivity of response from mum has no impact on
attachment. Research into infant-caregiver interactions supports Bowlby’s theory over the
learning theory as it emphasises the importance of quick sensitive responses to infants’
needs in creating a strong attachment.
The learning theory is also considered more reductionist than Bowlby’s theory as it reduces
the complex behaviour of attachment into simple stimulus-response learning. It is
environmentally reductionist as it only considers the environmental factors of feeding in
forming an attachment. Bowlby’s theory considers both biological factors, as he considers
attachment to be innate, as well as environmental factors such as the importance of social
releasers. Bowlby’s theory better explains not only how attachments are formed, but also
how the quality of attachment is achieved.
8/8
Other evaluation points for 16 marker
Animal studies to support bowlby and refute learning theory
Nature/ nurture + explanatory power
Determinism for both
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