8. Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Theory

Question 1

Which of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory concepts may apply to maternal deprivation?

Answer 1

• Law of continuity: the more constant a child’s care, better the quality of attachment
• Critical period: lack of/lost attachment outside this results in irreversible damage
• Monotropy: there is one ‘special’ caregiver
• Internal working model: separation will affect later relationships

Question 2

What type of relationship did Bowlby suggest children needed?

Answer 2

Warm, intimate, continuous

Question 3

To whom is the relationship with?

Answer 3

A mother or mother subbstitute

Question 4

Define maternal deprivation

Answer 4

Emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between child and mother/mother-substitute

Question 5

Distnguish between separation and deprivation.

Answer 5

• Separation: short-term physical separation

- Deprivation: Child loses emotional care

Question 6

What does the continuity hypothesis link to?

Answer 6

Prolonged separation will lead to issues in adulthood

Question 7

What is the significance of the critical period?

Answer 7

A child may be emotionally disturbed if there is no mother/mother-substitute care before the end of the critical period of 2 years

Question 8

What are the consequences of maternal deprivation to development?

Answer 8

• Lack of emotional development (e.g. affectionless psychopathy)
• Delayed intellectual development

Question 9

What did Goldfarb (1947) find between fostered and institutionalised children?

Answer 9

Institutionalised children had abnormally low IQ in comparison to fostered children (delayed intellectual development)

Question 10

What condition may deprived children develop?

Answer 10

Affectionless psychopathy: inability to experience guilt/strong emotions for others

Question 11

What des affectionless psychopathy have links to?

Answer 11

• Lack of normal relationship development

- Links to criminality (lack remorse for others)

Question 12

Why of Bowlby’s concepts does affectionless psychopathy link to?

Answer 12

Internal working model

Question 13

Describe Bowlby’s 44 thieves research

Answer 13

• 44 teens who had stolen
• Interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy
• Families interviewed about early deprivation
• Control group was 44 ‘emotionally damaged’ non-criminals
• 12/14 affectionless psychopaths identified had deprivation
• 2/44 of control group had separation

Question 14

What did Bowlby conclude in his 44 Thieves study?

Answer 14

Early maternal deprivation caused permanent emotional damage and lead to affectionless psychopathy, due to lack of emotional development

Question 15

How may the internal validity of evidence for the maternal deprivation theory be questioned?

Answer 15

• Bowlby provided evidence for his own theory (researcher bias)
• Self report techniques used (subjective & risk of social desirability bias)
• Correlational data used but Bowlby claimed causation (may be intervening variable e.g. temperament)

Question 16

What real world applications did Bowlby’s monotropic theory have?

Answer 16

Unrestricted hospital visiting and admission hours for mothers

Question 17

Why may Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory research be socially sensitive?

Answer 17

Suggests mothers should stay home with young children but they may have to work

Question 18

What evidence is there for a ‘sensitive’ period rather than a ‘critical’ period?

Answer 18

Koluchova (1976) found twin boys sated from 18 months-7 years were able to recover when looked after by 2 loving adults, suggesting prolonged separation in critical period doesn’t always cause damage

Question 19

Distinguish between privation & deprivation

Answer 19

Deprivation: disrupted/lost bond
Privation: failure to develop attachment

Question 20

Why may Rutter’s identification of differences between deprivation and private be a limitation to Bowlby’s theory?

Answer 20

Bowlby suggested deprivation where the long term damage is more likely due to privation

Question 21

Describe a strength and a limitation of using Harlow’s research to support Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation theory

Answer 21

+Found monkeys who experience maternal deprivation were more aggressive and neglectful, which may be applicable to humans and supports lack of emotional development
- Research questionable as may be other variables (e.g. social deprivation) and they aren’t human so may lack internal validity and generalisability