Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 1

-Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation suggests that if the monotropic bond between an infant and their mother is disrupted within the critical period (from birth to 30 months) e.g long periods of separation from the mother, this deprivation will then result in permanent and irreversible social, emotional, and intellectual consequences for the infant

Question 2

Consequences of maternal deprivation

Answer 2

-Delinquency: due to disruption to social development, children usually act in a way that is outside social norms (e.g petty theft)
-Affectionless psychopathy: due to disruptions to emotional development, children are unable to show caring behaviour for others and have little guilt for their harmful actions
-Low IQ: due to disruptions to intellectual development, cognitive abilities are lower than their peers

Question 3

Internal working model + continuity hypothesis

Answer 3

Bowlby argues that the monotropic infant-mother bond provides a blueprint for future relationships (schema)
-This internal working model guides our expectation of what loving relationships look like
-The continuity hypothesis suggests that deprivation, due to prolonged periods of separation from the mother, limits the ability of the infant to form an effective internal working model; leading to unsuccessful childhood and adult relationships, and issues with parenting skills

Question 4

Bowlby (1944) forty four thieves study (positive)
However (correlational may be a third factor affecting)

Answer 4

-Bowlby (1944) supported his research by conducting a study called the 44 thieves study
-Bowlby interviewed and compared one group of emotionally disturbed thieves, and another group of similarly emotionally disturbed thieves and assessed them for signs of affectionless psychopathy
-Additionally, Bowlby interviewed the mothers, asking about maternal deprivation during the critical period
-It was found that a significantly larger amount of thieves had experienced prolonged periods of separation from their mother during the critical period and also showed signs of affectionless psychopathy
-This suggests a link between delinquency, affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
HOWEVER, research conducted on maternal deprivation, including the 44 thieves study is correlational, as there may be a third factor affecting delinquency and affectionless psychopathy, for example, the presence of a criminal role model or a family history of mental health

Question 5

Negative evaluation for the critical period (Rutter orphan studies “sensitive” period)

Answer 5

-Bowlby argues that maternal deprivation during the critical period will always result in permanent issue for infants; however, later research on orphans by Rutter identified that it is more of a “sensitive” period rather than a critical period, as deficiencies can later be improved with later care

Question 6

Positive evaluations for Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory (Practical application)

Answer 6

-Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation has led to real world applications; for example in adoption agencies, their main focus is placing the children with loving families as quickly as possible, so that they can form a monotropic bond. Additionally, has changed policies on the length of maternity leave