BOWLBY'S MATERNAL DEPRIVATION THEORY Flashcards
What does Bowlby’s theory promote the importance of?
Continuous nurture from the mother
What is the difference between separation and deprivation?
Separation is purely physical distance, deprivation is the loss of care
What did Bowlby believe would happen after extended maternal deprivation?
It would cause problems for intellectual development and emotional development
What did Bowlby believe about the first 30 months of a child’s life?
It is a critical period - if maternal deprivation occurs within this time, psychological damage will be caused.
How is intellectual development affected by maternal deprivation?
It may cause an abnormally low IQ
What evidence did Goldfarb find for the effect on intellectual development?
Children who spent infancy in institutions had lower IQs than those who had been fostered with a higher standard of care
How is emotional development affected by maternal deprivation?
It may result in affectionless psychopathy - the inability to feel guilt or strong emotions for others
How did Bowlby study the link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy?
44 thieves study
How was the 44 thieves study carried out?
44 criminal teens were interviewed for affectionless psychopathy, along with their family to see signs of maternal deprivation. This was compared to a control group of non-criminal but emotionally disturbed teens
What did Bowlby find in his 44 thieves study?
14/44 thieves = affectionless psychopaths
— 12/14 experienced prolonged maternal separation within the first 2 years of life
[only 5/30 of remaining thieves experienced deprivation]
= link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
What other sample did Bowlby use to study maternal deprivation?
Children orphaned after WW2
