Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation

Question 1

Maternal Deprivation

Answer 1

The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother.

Question 2

What did Bowlby believe about maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

Believed it isn’t enough to make sure a child is fed, safe, and warm. He believed children needed an intimate, continuous relationship with a mother.

Question 3

Why did Bowlby say continuous nurture was essential?

Answer 3

Essential for healthy intellectual, and emotional development.

Question 4

Separation

Answer 4

Not being in the presence of the primary caregiver.

Question 5

Deprivation

Answer 5

Extended separations from a primary caregiver - losing an element of care.

Question 6

How long was the critical period Bowlby determined?

Answer 6

30 months.

Question 7

Critical Period

Answer 7

Where a child must not be separated from a caregiver, or receive suitable substitute care.

Question 8

What are the consequences of deprivation in the critical period?

Answer 8

Psychological damage will be inevitable for the child.

Question 9

What eight effects can separation/deprivation have on development?

Answer 9

Aggression, delinquency, dwarfism, intellectual retardation, depression, dependency, affectionless psychopathy, social maladjustment.

Question 10

What two aspects of development can be impaired?

Answer 10

Intellectual and emotional development.

Question 11

How can intellectual development be impaired?

Answer 11

Tends to be delayed, with an abnormally low IQ. Goldfarb (1947) found children who spent time in institutions had a lower IQ than those in foster care, where there is a higher level of emotional care.

Question 12

How can emotional development be impaired?

Answer 12

Some found to have affectionless psychopathy, linked to criminality, prevents normal formation of healthy relationships, inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others, cannot appreciate others’ feelings - lack remorse.

Question 13

Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves (1936-39) - Aim

Answer 13

To investigate whether prolonged maternal separation led to juvenile delinquency in children.

Question 14

Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves (1936-39) - Procedure

Answer 14

Sample consisted of 44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing. All ‘thieves’ were interviewed for sings of affectionless psychopathy, characterised as a lack of affection, guilt, IQ, and empathy for their victims. Their families were also interviewed in order to establish whether the ‘thieves’ had prolonged early separations from their mothers. A control group of non-criminal but emotionally disturbed young people was set up to see how often maternal separation and deprivation occured in the children who were not theives.

Question 15

Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves (1936-39) - Findings

Answer 15

14 out of 44 ‘thieves’ were affectionless psychopaths. Of the 14, 12 had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers in the first two years of their lives. Only 5 of the remaining 30 ‘thieves’ had experienced separations. Of the control group, only 2 out of 44 had experienced long separations.

Question 16

Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves (1936-39) - Conclusion

Answer 16

Prolonged early separation/deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy.

Question 17

Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves (1936-39) - Sample

Answer 17

Opportunity sample of 88 children from the clinic that Bowlby worked in. Of the experimental group, 31 were male, 13 female. Of the control, 34 were male, 10 female. All aged between 5-17.

Question 18

Maternal Deprivation - Strengths

Answer 18

• Supporting evidence from Levi et al. (2003) - found that separating baby rats from their mothers for just one day could have permanent effects on their development.
• The theory has useful real-world applications. For example, the emphasis on a need for mother-infant contact has caused daycares to assign caregivers to children, and hospitals to adapt visiting hours.
• The theory has also been useful in government support for maternity and paternity leave.

Question 19

Maternal Deprivation - Limitations

Answer 19

• Testability issues in Bowlby’s Thieves - the participants were asked to recall early experiences, meaning it is likely for the recall to have distortions.
• Furthermore, the research is likely to include investigator effects, as Bowlby conducted and designed the self-reports himself, and his diagnosis of affectionless psychopathology is likely to also be biased.
• The findings of Bowlby’s research are correlational, with no cause and effect.
• The critical period is likely to be more of a sensitive period, as it has been found that if attachments are not formed, or there is prolonged separation in the critical period, damage is not inevitable as Bowlby said. For example, Koluchova (1976) reported the case of two young boys who were isolated and locked in the cupboard from 18 months to 7 years. After being placed into a loving family, they appeared to make a full recovery.
• Contradictory evidence from Hilda Lewis (1954) - replicated Bowlby’s Thieves with a sample of 500 and found that early prolonged separation could not predict criminality or issues forming close relationships.