Bowlby Flashcards
Methodology of Bowlby
Series of Case studies (including interviews)
How many thieves and gender split?
44 thieves, 31 males 13 females
Age range of thieves
5-17 years old
IQ of thieves
27 Average IQ (85-114), 15 higher IQ (above 114), 2 lower IQ (below 85)
Grades of stealing for thieves
3 Grade 1, 8 Grade 2, 10 Grade 3, 23 Grade 4
How many in control group and what were they matched on?
44: 34 males 10 females, similar age. Emotionally disturbed but did not steal
Where was the sample of children and mothers collected from?
London Children’s Guidance Clinic
What test did the children have when they arrived at the clinic?
Intelligence test (Stanford-Binet)
Who noted the child’s emotional attitude during the initial intelligence test?
A Psychologist
Who interviewed the mother to gain details of the child’s early psychiatric history?
Social Worker
Who interviewed the mother and child for two hours?
Psychiatrist
What other data (reports) were used by the team when discussing each child?
School and medical reports
For how long did the child continue to meet with the psychiatrist?
Six months or more
How many thieves were the ‘normal’ character type?
2
How many thieves were the ‘depressed’ character type?
9
How many thieves were the ‘circular’ character type?
2
How many thieves were the ‘hyperthymic’ character type?
13
How many thieves were the ‘affectionless’ character type?
14
How many thieves were the ‘schizoid’ character type?
4
How many of the control group were characterised as affectionless?
0
How many of the affectionless thieves had experienced prolonged maternal deprivation?
12
How many of the control group experienced maternal deprivation?
2
How many of the affectionless thieves were Grade 4 on degrees of stealing?
13
Conclusions of Bowlby’s research
- The findings confirm the psychodynamic assumption that early years are of great importance in character development
- Juvenile crime is not just a psychological problem, it is social and economic too
- If those who are involved in the upbringing and care of small children are aware of the damage prolonged separations can have, a greater effort can be make to avoid them, which could prevent many cases of criminal behaviour
