Attachment: Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Theory

Question 1

Define deprivation

Answer 1

an extreme form of separation where there is no adequate substitute emotional care provided

Question 2

What are the 4 key points about this theory?

(Hint , M,C,D,IWM)

Answer 2

monotropy-it is essential for healthy emotional and cognitive development

critical period-the first 30 months are a critical period for psychological development

deprivation-during this 30 months and up to 5 years , if child is separated for an extended period from the mother figure and no substitute emotional care is provided the psychological damage is severe and irreversible

internal working model-child doesn’t form an adequate IWM so doesn’t have a healthy template for future relationships

Question 3

What did Bowlby say the consequences of maternal deprivation were?
3

(I , E , S)

Answer 3

poor intellectual development-child will have a low IQ
poor emotional development-can lead to the development of affectionless psychopathy
poor social development-poor social relationships and issues with them in adulthood

Question 4

What does affectionless psychopathy mean and what is it associated with?

Answer 4

an inability to feel guilt/strong emotions towards others
its associated with criminal behaviour

Question 5

What supporting evidence is there for this theory?

Answer 5

Bowlby’s 44 thieves study(1944)
He compared 44 thieves with a control group of no thieves
Findings-32% of thieves showed AP compared to 0% in control group
86% of the 32% experienced maternal deprivation compared to 17% of the thieves who weren’t affectionless psychopaths
This supports the idea that MD can have severe LT effects on emotional development

Question 6

What is a further strength of the maternal deprivation theory?

Answer 6

+ it has practical applications
the theory has led to changes in hospital visiting policies and adoption policies(encouraged to stay with child and adopt as young as possible)
these both help make it less likely for infants to suffer if their att bond is disrupted , adding credibility

Question 7

What contradictory evidence is there ?

Answer 7

Lewis (1954)
he partially replicated the 44 thieves study on a large scale and found that a history of prolonged separation from mother didn’t predict criminality or relationship difficulty , challenging the theory

Question 8

What is a further limitation of the maternal deprivation theory?

Answer 8

-Bowlby may have confused privation and deprivation
the severe LT damage discussed is more likely to result from not forming an att bond at all , meaning Bowlby’s conclusions may not apply to the effects of deprivation which weakens the theory