Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Theory Flashcards
outline the basics of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
4
maternal deprivation = refers to the loss of emotional care that is normally provided by a primary caregiver
involves forming monotropy during the critical period which is then broken or lost, resulting in a faulty internal working model
key features…
• value of maternal care
• critical period
• long term consequences
the main idea of this theory is that prolonged emotional deprivation has long-term consequences in terms of the emotional development of the infant
value of maternal care
3
it is not enough to simply feed and clothe a child
Bowlby suggested that children need a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with a mother or mother figure in order to ensure continuing normal mental health
a child denied of such care due to frequent and/or prolonged separation may become emotionally disturbed
critical period
3
separation only has this effect if it happens during the critical period of development — this is usually up to 2 years old but there is a continuing risk until the age of 5
it will also only have an effect if there is no substitute mother figure available
damage can be avoided if emotional care is provided by a substitute figure
long term consequences
2
deprivation has the potential to cause long term harm such as emotional maladjustments or mental health problems like depression
this was demonstrated in the 44 thieves study
KEY STUDY: 44 Juvenile Thieves (procedure)
6
conducted by Bowlby (1944)
demonstrated the long term consequences of deprivation
analysed the case histories of 88 children who were his patients at a Child Guidance Clinic, all of which were emotionally maladjusted
half of these children had been caught stealing before (aka the 44 thieves) while the other half hadn’t, so were made the control group
he suggested that some of these 44 thieves were affectionless psychopaths — they lacked normal signs of affection, shame and a sense of responsibility
such characteristics enabled them to steal from others because it didn’t matter to them
KEY STUDY: 44 Juvenile Thieves (findings)
6
those diagnosed as affectionless psychopathic had experienced frequent early separation from their mothers (i.e. maternal deprivation)
86% of affectionless thieves experienced frequent separation but only around 4% of the control group did
17% of the other thieves had experienced frequent separation
early separation often consisted of continual or repeated stays in foster homes or hospitals where children were scarcely visited by their families
suggests that early maternal deprivation is linked to affectionless psychopathy and a lack of continuous care can cause emotional maladjustment or even mental disorders
this demonstrates the long-term consequences of maternal deprivation
x3 evaluation points
challenged by Radke-Yarrow
supported by Bifulco
supported by the 44 thieves study
EVALUATION
challenged by Radke-Yarrow
6
studied severely depressed mothers
55% of their children experienced maternal deprivation due to being insecurely attached
suggests that psychological separation can lead to maternal deprivation, separation does not have to be physical
for example, if a mother is depressed she may not be able to provide suitable emotional care and is thus depriving her child
this challenges Bowlby’s theory as he assumed the cause of maternal deprivation was physical separation and did not take into account the impact of psychological separation, which Radke-Yarrow demonstrated may also lead to maternal deprivation
therefore, Bowlby’s theory may not be providing a complete overview of maternal deprivation and may be limited in its ability to explain attachments
EVALUATION
supported by Bifulco
6
studied women who had experienced separation from their mothers for over a year
25% of these women later experienced depression or anxiety, whereas only 15% of those who had no experience of separation experienced depression or anxiety
mental health problems were found to be much greater in women who had experienced deprivation before the age of 6
this supports Bowlby’s theory as it demonstrates the consequences that can arise due to separation, maternal deprivation doesn’t always result in negative outcomes but will increase the likelihood of such outcomes
it also supports the critical period aspect of Bowlby’s theory by suggesting that being denied emotional care during the critical period will have an affect on emotional well-being — after all, women who experienced deprivation before the age of 6 (i.e. during the critical period) had greater mental health problems
therefore, the theory may be increased in its ability to explain attachments
EVALUATION
supported by the 44 thieves study
5
demonstrated the long term consequences of deprivation
individuals diagnosed as affectionate psychopaths had experienced frequent early separations from their mothers
86% of the affectionless thieves had experienced frequent separation
only around 4% of the control group experienced separation and only 17% of the other thieves had experienced separation
suggests that early separation is linked to affectionless psychopathy, lack of continuous care can cause emotional maladjustments and even mental disorders
