Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis Flashcards
What is deprivation?
The loss of emotional care, which results in breaking the emotional bonds between an infant and its caregiver
What is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis?
The idea that too much time spent apart from the mother or mother substitute would have significant long term effects
What is the difference between separation and deprivation?
Separations are relatively brief and do not have any long term developmental issues
When were the implications of deprivation most important?
During the critical period, if the infant suffered significant emotional deprivation during the first 30 months then psychological effects were inevitable
What were the effects of deprivation divided into?
- Intellectual
- Emotional
What did Goldfarb find?
Found lower IQ in children who had been institutions rather than being fostered
What was Bowlby’s 44 theives?
Explore the link between juvenile delinquency and maternal deprivation
What did Bowlby do?
Interviews 44 adolescents and selected another group of 44 children to act as controls. He interviewed the parents from both groups
What did Bowlby find?
More than 80% of the juvenile theives experienced early speraration. In the control group less than 20% had a separation. Several young theives showed affection less psychopathology, none of the control group were
What was Bowlby’s conclusion?
The reason for anti social behaviour and emotional problems in the first group was due to maternal depriviton
What are 3 evaluation points?
- Correlational: not a cause
- Didn’t take privation into account
- Practical applications
