Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

What deprivation?

Answer 1

The loss of an attachment bond

Question 2

Who proposed the theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

Bowlby

Question 3

What was the name of Bowlby’s study into maternal deprivation?

Answer 3

44 juvenile thieves

Question 4

How many children did Bowlby study?

Answer 4

88

Question 5

What could be said about all of the children in Bowlby’s study?

Answer 5

They were emotionally maladjusted

Question 6

What was Bowlby’s experimental group?

Answer 6

Children who’d been caught stealing

Question 7

What was Bowlby’s control group?

Answer 7

Children who hadn’t stolen anything

Question 8

What are affectionless psychopaths?

Answer 8

People who lack the normal signs of affection, shame or sense of responsibility

Question 9

How many of Bowlby’s juvenile thieves were affectionless psychopaths?

Answer 9

14

Question 10

Out of the 14 affectionless psychopaths, how many had experienced maternal deprivation?

Answer 10

12

Question 11

What percentage of the control group experienced maternal deprivation?

Answer 11

17%

Question 12

What did Bowlby suggest as the critical period?

Answer 12

0 - 2.5 years

Question 13

What does the PDD model stand for?

Answer 13

Protest, despair, detachment

Question 14

What is the protest part of the PDD model?

Answer 14

Immediate reactions to separation include crying, screaming and kicking

Question 15

What is the despair part of the PDD model?

Answer 15

Children display signs of acceptance + ‘mourning’ - thumb sucking + withdrawn

Question 16

What is the detachment part of the PDD model?

Answer 16

Children return to a ‘normal’ emotional state, but upon reunion with their caregiver they are indifferent or angry

Question 17

What percentage of thieves classified as affectionless psychopaths experienced maternal deprivation?

Answer 17

86%

Question 18

What are the 4 AO3 points of Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory?

Answer 18

1) Physical AND emotional separation
2) RWA
3) Deprivation VS privation
4) Support for long term effects

Question 19

Give an example of emotional maternal deprivation.

Answer 19

A depressed mother

Question 20

In a study of depressed mothers, what percentage of the children were insecurely attached?

Answer 20

55%

Question 21

What does Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory have applications to?

Answer 21

Childrearing and hospital care

Question 22

Before Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory, what was hospital care of children like?

Answer 22

Children were separated from parents when admitted to hospital + visiting was discouraged and even prohibited

Question 23

What is the name of the girl who was filmed during her time in hospital?

Answer 23

Laura

Question 24

How did Little Laura lead to social change?

Answer 24

She showed frequent signs of distress and begged to go home - this led to major social change, as it highlighted the harm of emotional deprivation

Question 25

Who criticised Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 25

Rutter

Question 26

Why did Rutter criticise Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 26

He claimed that Bowlby did not make it clear whether the childrens’ attachment bonds had been formed and then broken, or never formed at all

Question 27

What does maternal deprivation increase the vulnerability for?

Answer 27

Negative outcomes

Question 28

What were the findings of the study on adult women who experienced early loss or separation from their mothers?

Answer 28

They were more likely to experience anxiety or depression compared to a control group