Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory Flashcards
1
Q
what are some strengths of the theory
A
- research support
- real world applications
2
Q
what research supports the theory
A
Bifulco et al
3
Q
what did Bifulco find
A
- studied women who had experienced separation form their mothers either because of maternal death or for temporary separation for more than year
- found that 25% later experience depression or anxiety compared to 15% who had never experienced separation
- the mental health problems were also found to be worse when separation occurred before the age of 6
4
Q
what did Bifulco findings show
A
supported Bowlby’s idea of a critical period and showed that early childhood deprivation can lead to later vulnerability for mental health problems
5
Q
how was the theory applied to the real world
A
- it had a big impact on how children were looked after in hospitals
- before Bowlby’s research, children were separated form their parents while at the hospital and visiting was discouraged or something even forbidden
- Robertson observed a two-year old girl called Laura while she was at the hospital and found she was often distressed and begged to go home
- Bowlby’s and Robertson’s findings led to key changes in the way children were cared for in hospitals by providing quality substitute emotional care or allow more visiting time
6
Q
what are some limitations of the theory
A
- deprivation vs privation
- individual differences
7
Q
who proposed the privation vs deprivation
A
Rutter
8
Q
what did Rutter do
A
- he claimed that Bowlby failed to make it clear whether the child’s attachment bond had been lost or was never formed to begin with
- he believed that when an attachment bond is not formed at all, the effects would be much more severe than the effects of deprivation
- he therefore proposed the term privation to refer to situations where the child fails to develop an attachment bond with one caregiver, and deprivation for situations where the bond is developed but is then broken or lost
9
Q
what did Rutter’s findings show
A
they showed Bowlby’s theory lack of clarity and therefore negatively affected the validity of his research findings
10
Q
what research showed individual differences play a role in the effects of deprivation
A
Barrett
11
Q
what did Barrett find
A
- Barrett reviewed many studies on deprivation and found that securely attached children cope with it reasonably well and were less likely to develop mental health issues, compared to insecurely attached children which did not cope well and went on to develop mental health issues
12
Q
what did Barrett findings show
A
- they showed that individual differences are important factors which need to be considered when examining the effects of deprivation
- this casts doubt on Bowlby’s theory and lowers its validity as he overlooked the role of individual differences
