Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Question 1

What is meant by deprivation?

Answer 1

Deprivation refers to beginning to form an attachment then no longer having that attachment figure therefore never forming a full attachment (Monotropy bond)

Question 2

What does the maternal deprivation hypothesis propose?

Answer 2

What happens when an infant fails to form an attachment by the critical period

Question 3

What key ideas did Bowlby propose in this Hypothesis?

Answer 3

Monotropy - single attachment with primary caregiver
Irreversibility - consequences cannot be reversed past critical period
2.5 year critical period
Separation - only results in deprivation if there is no replacement for the primary care - giver
Internal working model - lack of monotropy bond impacts future relationships
Consequences - Delinquency, Low IQ, affectionless psychopathy

Question 4

What would happen if no monotropy bond was formed in the critical period?

Answer 4

Irreversible changes as a result of deprivation.
Would affect the internal working model and cause inability to be a good parents, with regards to the continuity hypothesis , may also cause issues forming relationships in adulthood

Question 5

Outline research into the maternal deprivation hypothesis

Answer 5

Bowlby’s 44 Juvenile Thieves (1944)

Question 6

What was Bowlby’s (1944) aim?

Answer 6

To test the maternal deprivation hypothesis

Question 7

What was Bowlby’s (1944) procedure?

Answer 7

Bowlby interviewed 88 children between ages 5 ad 16 who had been referred to a child guidance clinic where he worked. He interviewed the children and their families and was able to record their early life experiences.

They were split into 2 groups
44 were referred because of stealing of which Bowlby identified 16 as affectionless psychopaths
44 had not committed any crimes, but were emotionally maladjusted, and did not display anti-social behaviour

Question 8

What were Bowlby’s (1944) results?

Answer 8

86% of diagnosed affectionless psychopaths had early prolonged separation from their mothers
17% of the other thieves had experienced prolonged separations from their mothers
4% of the group had experienced frequent early separations

Question 9

What was Bowlby’s (1944) conclusion?

Answer 9

Suggest a link between early separations and alter social and emotional behaviours

Question 10

Strengths of Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Answer 10

Validity of extrapolation from and comparison of animal studies (Harlow) as the monkeys showed they could not form attachments after the critical period even showing disturbance

Support from Bowlby’s Juvenile Thieves

Question 11

Limitations of Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Answer 11

Over-emphasis on mother and monotropy - often fails to focus on father adequately

Wider implications - may suggest a child who spends a lot of time in hospital could experience this, however this is not always the case

Schaffer’s multiple attachment argue suggests child can have multiple attachments and therefore may not be dependent on the mother