bowlby 2.2 and 3.2 psychodynamic Flashcards
what did Bowlby suggest
individualistic theories of crime hold that crime is caused by individual differences based or personality types or experiences that people have. They argue that the root of crime is in an individual’s psychological make-up or the development processes that they
have experienced.
who was bowlby influenced by
John Bowlby (1907-1990) was influenced by Freud’s psychodynamic theory. His explanation for criminality was inspired by the psychodynamic approach.
what was bowlbys key idea
Bowlby proposed that the ability to form meaningful social relationships in adulthood was dependent on a close, warm and continuous relationship with the mother in the first few years. Since this relationship acts as the basis for all future relationships, its disruption would impair the person’s ability to relate to others. If the attachment is broken or disrupted during the first 2 1⁄2 years of life (critical period), the child will suffer irreversible long-term consequences of this maternal deprivation. This risk continues until the age of five. This could result in a condition Bowlby called ‘affectionless psychopathy’.
what was affectionless psychopathy
Affectionless psychopathy is the inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others.
This prevents the person developing normal relationships and is associated with criminality.
Affectionless psychopaths cannot appreciate the feelings of victims and so lack remorse.
Bowlby presented evidence that early maternal deprivation was related to later criminal behaviour through his ‘44 Thieves’ study.
what was the aim of Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study
Aim of study: To investigate the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on people in order to see whether delinquents have suffered deprivation. According to the ‘Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis’, breaking the maternal bond with the child during the early stages of its life is likely to have serious effects on its intellectual, social and emotional development.
what was the procedure of Bowlby’s Theives 44 study
Procedure: Between 1936 and 1939 a sample of 88
children was selected from the clinic where Bowlby worked. Of these, 44 were juvenile thieves and had been referred to him because of their stealing. Bowlby selected another group of 44 children to act as ‘controls’
(individuals referred to the clinic because of emotional problems, but who had not yet committed any crimes).
On arrival at the clinic, each child had their IQ tested by a psychologist. At the same time a social worker interviewed a parent to record details of the child’s early life (e.g. periods of separation). The psychologist and social worker made separate reports. A psychiatrist (Bowlby) then conducted an initial interview with the child and accompanying parent (e.g. diagnosing affectionless psychopathy).
what were the findings
Findings: More than half of the juvenile thieves had been separated from their mothers for longer than six months during their first five years. In the control group only two had had such a separation.
Bowlby also found that 14 of the young thieves (32%) showed ‘affectionless psychopathy’ (they were not able to care about or feel affection for others). None of the control group were affectionless psychopaths.
Bowlby found that 86% of the ‘affectionless psychopaths’ in group 1 (thieves) had experienced a long period of maternal separation before the age of 5 years (they had spent most of their early years in residential homes or hospitals and were not often visited by their families).
what was Bowlby conclusion
Conclusion: Bowlby concluded that maternal separation/deprivation in the child’s early life caused permanent emotional damage. He diagnosed this as a condition and called it ‘Affectionless Psychopathy’.
what are two strengths of bowlbys research
Bowlby’s research showed that more of his sample of 44 juvenile delinquents had suffered maternal deprivation than a control group of non-delinquents. This supports Bowlby’s theory and increases our confidence in it as an explanation of criminal behaviour.
His work shows the need to consider the role of parent-child relationships in explaining criminality, something that was not considered with biological theories.
what are two limitations of bowlbys research
