Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory

Question 1

What does Bowlby argue?

Answer 1

A link between maternal deprivation and deviant or anti-social behaviour

Question 2

What does Bowlby believe?

Answer 2

A child needs a close, continuous relationship with its primary carer from birth to the age of 5 in order to develop normally

Question 3

What will happen if the mother-child attachment is broken?

Answer 3

can leave the child unable to form meaningful emotional relationships with others -> affectionless psychopathy

Question 4

How many juvenile thieves did Bowlby study?

Answer 4

44

Question 5

How many suffered maternal deprivation before the age of 5?

Answer 5

39%

Question 6

What was the study compared to?

Answer 6

5% of a control group of non-delinquents

Question 7

What are the strengths of this study?

Answer 7

research showed that more of his sample of 44 juvenile delinquents had suffered maternal deprivation than a control group of non-delinquents, his work shows the need to consider the role of parent-child relationships in explaining criminality

Question 8

What are the limitations of this study?

Answer 8

overestimates how far early childhood experiences have a permanent effect on later behaviour, retrospective study where delinquents and their mothers had an accurately recall past events- can be a problem especially fi it involves recalling emotive experiences