Bowlby’s Theory Of Maternal Deprivation Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is maternal deprivation
-The loss of emotional care that is usually provided by the primary caregiver (mother/ ‘surrogate mother’). They had formed an attachment within the critical period and through long term separation, they have broken this attachment.
-This has serious consequences on emotional, intellectual and social development.
What is the effect of maternal deprivation on infants
Can have significant social, emotional and intellectual impact on development.
When is the critical period for human infants according to Bowlby
Initially 0-6months and then extended from 0-2.5years
What is the critical period
-The window of time that infants must form an attachment within. If not there will be significant consequences of long term separation development.
What is the internal working model
-A mental model of the relationship an infant has with their primary caregiver that serves as a template for what further relationships will look like.
How can maternal deprivation affect intellectual development
-May have a lower IQ than average
Goldfarb (1955)- impact of maternal deprivation on intellectual development
-Studied children orphaned after the Second World War and found that children who remained in institutions had a lower than average IQ (scoring just 68 on average ) compared to those who were fostered by 4 months and obtained a mother substitute/ high emotional care (their IQ average was 96).
Bowlby (1944)- impact of maternal deprivation on emotional development
-Could lead to the ‘affectionless psychopathy’
-This is the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others. This prevents the individual from forming ‘normal’ relationships and is associated with criminality as they fail to empathise with victims and lack remorse.
What is the affectionless psychopathy according to Bowlby (1944)
Someone with an inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others.
-This prevents the individual from forming ‘normal’ relationships and is associated with criminality as they fail to empathise with victims and lack remorse.
Affect of maternal deprivation on social development (Bowlby)
Affectionless psychopaths are less likely to have good social groups and are more likely to turn to crimes such as theft as they don’t feel remorse for their actions.
Who conducted the 44 Juvenile Thieves study
-Bowlby
Aim of Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves study
-To examine the links between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
Procedure of Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves study
-Bowlby analysed the case histories of a number of children attending a Child Guidance Clinic where all children were emotionally maladjusted (unstable).
-He studied 88 of these children- half had been caught steeling (and were named by Bowlby as the 44 thieves) and the other half were a control group.
-Bowlby described 14 out of the 44 thieves as ‘affectionless psychopaths- this is because they lacked normal signs of affection, remorse or responsibility.
Findings of Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves study
-Bowlby found that many of the thieves had shown signs of ‘affectionless psychopathy’ had experienced early separations from their mothers (86%).
-Almost none foot he control group experienced early separations.
Conclusion of Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves study
Suggests that early separations are linked to the affectionless psychopathy. This means that a lack of emotional care has significant emotional consequences.
Evaluation of Bowlby’s theory of maternal derivation
-Support form animal studies (Harlow)
-Poor evidence
-‘Critical period’ is more of a ‘sensitive period’
-Contradicitng findings in a replica study
How does Harlow’s (1958) study support Bowlby’s effects of MD
-He researched infant Rhesus monkeys who had been deprived of a ‘real’ mother and had only a soft coth or wire substitute mother and so they therefore suffered maternal deprivation.
-As a result of this hey did not develop normal social behaviour; they became aggressive, less sociable and were not as skilled at mating as other monkeys.
-As mothers themselves they later neglected their young, and in some cases even attacked and killed them.
(Supports effects of MD, and internal working model)
Why may Bowlby’s evidence for his theory of maternal deprivation deprivation be poor
-He drew on a number of sources for evidence which have flaws. For example, Goldfarb’s (1955) research. He used orphaned children during WW2.Findings may be unreliable as:
-Effects on development may have been caused by the trauma experienced during the war.
-Children growing up from birth in poor quality institutions were deprived of many aspects of care, not just maternal care.
-Lack of good education during the war
Who’s findings contradicts Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
Lewis (1954)
What were the findings of Lewis’s (1954) replica study of the 44 thieves
-Looked at 500 young people. In her sample, a history of early prolonged separation from the mother did not predict criminality or difficulty forming relationships.
-This suggests that maternal deprivation may actually have little link to the ‘affectionless psychopathy’. Lowers the internal validity of Bowlby’s findings
Evidence that a critical period may be more of a ‘sensitive period’
-Koluchova (1976)- reported the case of two boys from czechoslovakia who were isolated from 18 months to 7 years old, but they appeared to fully recover, and even married.
-This shows that the critical period isn’t as serious as Bowlby suggests- It shows that people can recover from the effects of maternal deprivation even if they don’t form an atatchment within the critical period, suggesting that it is more of a ‘sensitive period’.
