AQA Psychology for A Level Year 1 & AS - Student Book
Comprehensive study notes on AQA Psychology topic of Attachment.
Can easily be turned into flashcards for effective revision.
Includes practice questions at the end of the document.
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Monotropy
- Bowlby placed emphasis on a child’s attachment to one caregiver.
- He believed this caregiver is different and more important than any other.
- Bowlby called this person the ‘mother’ but this did not need to be the
biological mother.
- He believed the more time a baby spent with the primary attachment
figure the better.
- He put forward two principles-
→ The law of continuity- the more constant and predictable a child’s
care, the better the quality of their attachment.
→ The law of accumulated separation- the effects of every separation
from the mother add up.
Social releasers and the critical period
- Social releasers are innate behaviours like crying and smiling, which are
designed to elicit adult responses and attention.
→ Their purpose is to activate an adult to feel love towards the baby.
- Both mother and baby have an innate predisposition to become attached
and social releasers trigger a response in caregivers.
- Bowlby proposed there is a critical period around two years when the
infant attachment system is active.
- If an attachment is not formed by the age of two, a child will find it hard to
form an attachment later.
Internal working model
- An internal working model is the mental representation of relationships
with the primary caregiver created from the child’s first attachment.
- The IWM has an important effect on the nature of future relationships.
→ A child whose first experience is of a loving relationship with a
reliable caregiver will form an expectation that all relationships are
as loving and reliable, and they will bring these qualities to future
relationships.
- The IWM will also have an effect on the child’s later ability to be a parent
themselves.
→ People tend to base their parenting behaviour on their own
experiences of being parented.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller mariaberruti. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.90. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
