Attachment - Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation Flashcards
WHO
World Health Organisation
When did the WHO commission Bowlby to write a report?
After WW2
What did the WHO commission Bowlby to write a report on?
The mental health of homeless children post-war
What did Bowlby believe could be harmful for homeless children?
Long term deprivation
Deprivation
Lack of necessities
What hypothesis did Bowlby state?
Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis
Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis
Deprivation from main caregiver during critical period will result in harmful affects
What is maternal deprivation?
The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother/substitute mother
What does Bowlby believe to be essential for normal psychological development?
Continuous care from a mother
What can separation from the mother (or mother substitute) cause serious damage to?
Serious damage to emotional and intellectual development
Deprivation theory (IQ)
Deprivation in the critical period causes IQ and mental damage
What does deprivation cause a person to become?
An affectionless psychopath
Characteristics of an affectionless psychopath (6)
-Lack of emotional development
-Lack of concern for others
-Lack of guilt
-Inability to form meaningful relationships
-Lack of empathy
-Impulsive
Privation
Not having the opportunity to form a bond on the first instance
Maternal deprivation
A bond or attachment that has been formed with the main caregiver, but has been disrupted for some reason
What piece of key research did Bowlby carry out?
‘44 thieves’
What was the aim of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study?
To test the maternal deprivation hypothesis
What two groups did Bowlby compare in ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study?
He compared 44 juvenile (young) thieves with 44 non-delinquent (non-criminal) children
How did Bowlby get data in ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study?
He interviewed children and families
What percentage of young thieves showed affectionless psychopathy in ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study?
32%
What percentage of non-delinquent (non-criminal) children showed affectionless psychopathy in ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study?
0%
What had 86% of affectionless psychopaths experienced before the age of 5 in ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study?
86% of affectionless psychopaths had experienced long periods of maternal separation before the age of 5
How many of the 44 non-delinquent children in ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study had experienced prolonged separation?
2
What does ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study provide research support for?
Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
How did ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study provide research support for the maternal deprivation hypothesis?
Because the majority of the affectionless psychopaths had experienced a long period of maternal separation
Advantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: Sample size
Large sample size
Advantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: Support
Research supports maternal deprivation hypothesis
Advantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: Influence
Influential in this area of attachment
Advantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: Real world impact
Has impacted child care practices
Disadvantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: Gender bias
Only boys were studied. We can’t assume that female delinquents will give the same results (can’t generalise)
Disadvantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: Retrospective
For analysis, data was looked back on and this could possibly cause inaccuracies in memory
Disadvantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: correlation, not causation
We do not know if maternal deprivation caused affectionless psychopath characteristics
Disadvantages of ‘Bowlby’s 44 Thieves’ study: investigator effects
There is a possibility that the researcher could impact the participant’s responses
Who do conducted further research in 1952?
Bowlby and Robertson
What did Bowlby and Robertson observe in 1952?
They observed children experiencing intense distress when separated from their mothers
What three PROGRESSIVE stages of distress did Bowlby and Robertson find in 1952?
- Protest
- Despair
- Detachment
What does the child do during the protest stage of distress according to Bowlby and Robertson?
The child cries and protests angrily when the parent leaves and they try to cling onto the parent
What does the child do during the despair stage of distress according to Bowlby and Robertson?
The child’s protesting begins to stop and they appear calmer. However they are still upset and refuse attempts of comfort
What does the child do during the detachment stage of distress according to Bowlby and Robertson?
The child begins to engage with other people but rejects their caregiver on return
Which 17 month old baby did Robertson and Robertson observe?
John
Where was John placed for 9 days?
In a residential nursery
John’s father
He worked all day, but visited the nursery
How did John display protest?
He sobbed and resisted comfort
How did John display despair?
He played with toys and clung to his teddy bear
How did John display detachment?
He wouldn’t look at his mother when she returned
What did Spitz and Wolf find about the effects of separation in 1947?
They found that the effects of separation can be severe
Where did Spitz and Wolf conduct research in 1947?
In children’s orphanages in South America
What two groups did Spitz and Wolf observe?
One institution where babies were separated from their mothers at 3 months
Another institution where babies of inmates were separated from their mothers but received regular visits
Development of prison babies and orphaned babies
Prison babies thrived while the orphaned babies displaced development delays
