C1: Psychodynamic Approach - Bowlby AO1

Question 1

Methodology: Type of sampling technique?

Answer 1

Opportunity sample.

Question 2

Methodology: Details of gender and numbers in control group and thieves.

Answer 2

• 44 thieves and 44 non-stealing children.
• 31 boys and 13 girls in each group.
• 5-17 in age range.
• average intelligence: 85-114IQ

Question 3

Methodology: Location of case study.

Answer 3

Tavistock clinic in London

Question 4

Methodology: Research method?

Answer 4

Case study.

Question 5

Methodology: Details on the control group.

Answer 5

• A further 44 children, who also attended the clinic.
• These group were similar in age, sex and IQ to the thieves.
  Therefore, all together, 88 children, all of whom had been referred to the clinic for emotional problems.

Question 6

Methodology: Details on the mothers and the part they played.

Answer 6

Mothers of both groups were involved in the study; They were interviewed in order to assess the case histories of the children.

Question 7

Methodology: What did the final analysis look at?

Answer 7

It looked at an association between the two groups of participants and experiences of separation.

Question 8

Procedures: Initial examination - what happened to the participants on arrival to the clinic?

Answer 8

Each child was given mental tests by a psychologist to assess their intelligence (The Binet scale was used)

Question 9

Procedures: Initial examination - what scale was used to assess the participants’ intelligence?

Answer 9

The Binet scale.

Question 10

Procedures: Initial examination - What did the psychologist also take note of during the mental tests

Answer 10

The child’s emotional attitude.

Question 11

Procedures: Initial examination - What happened at the same time while the child was having the mental tests?

Answer 11

A social worker interviewed the child’s mother and recorded preliminary details of the child’s early psychiatric history.

Question 12

Procedures: Initial examination - How long did the mother’s analyses with the social worker last?

Answer 12

One hour

Question 13

Procedures: Initial examination - Who did the psychologist and social worker report the information to after the interviews and tests?

Answer 13

The psychiatrist, John Bowlby.

Question 14

Procedures: Initial examination - After the psychologist and social worker fed back to the psychiatrist (Bowlby), what did he do?

Answer 14

He then interviewed the child, and then the mother.

Question 15

Procedures: Initial examination - What happened after Bowlby interviewed the child and the mother separately?

Answer 15

The team considered school and other reports and discussed their conclusions.

Question 16

Procedures: Therapy - What did many of the children continue to do over a 6 month period or more?

Answer 16

Many of the children continued to meet with the psychiatrist weekly over a period of 6 months or more.

Question 17

Procedures: Therapy - Who could the mother talk over their problems with?

Answer 17

The mother talked over their problems with a social worker.

Question 18

Procedures: Therapy - What did these meetings and discussions enable?

Answer 18

These meetings and discussions enabled a detailed case history to be recorded and also enabled the psychiatrist to diagnose the child’s emotional problems.

Question 19

Findings - Diagnosis: In order to determine what previous experiences may have caused the 44 thieves to turn to stealing, it was necessary to distinguish between certain personality types: (6)

Answer 19

• Normal
• Depressed
• Circular
• Hyperthymic
• Affectionless
• Schizoid.

Question 20

Personality type: Normal

Answer 20

Appear fairly stable/normal

Question 21

Personality type: Depressed

Answer 21

Unstable and now are more or less in a depressed state of mind

Question 22

Personality type: Circular

Answer 22

Unstable children who are showing alternating depression and over-activity.

Question 23

Personality type: Hyperthymic

Answer 23

Child tends to be constantly over-active

Question 24

Personality type: Affectionless

Answer 24

Children characterised by lack of normal affection, shame or sense of responsibility.

Question 25

Personality type: Schizoid

Answer 25

Marked schizoid or schizophrenic symptoms

Question 26

Findings: How many of the 14 thieves were seen to be the affectionless character? And how many of these had experienced frequent separation from their mother.

Answer 26

14 out of the 44. 12 of these had experienced frequent separation from their mothers.

Question 27

Findings: Affectionless character example, Betty I

Answer 27

• Placed in a foster home, aged 7 months when her parents split up
• She moved from one foster home to another and spent a year in a convent school
• Returned home aged 5.

Question 28

Findings: Such separations seen in the affectionless characters were very rare amongst the other thieves, there were 30 non-affectionless thieves and how many had experienced prolonged separations?

Answer 28

2