Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

What study did Bowlby conduct in order to study the effects of long-term maternal deprivation

Answer 1

The 44 Juvenile Thieves Study

Question 2

Who conducted the 44 Juvenile thieves study

Answer 2

Bowlby

Question 3

What was the 44 Juvenile Thieves study

Answer 3

Bowlby studies 88 emotionally maladjusted children, half of which had been caught stealing and half of which were the control group. Bowlby suggested that some of the thieves were affectionless psychopaths which enabled them to steal without feeling guilty

Question 4

How many people were studied in the 44 juvenile thieves study

Answer 4

88, 44 thieves and 44 control group

Question 5

What were the findings of the 44 juvenile thieves study

Answer 5

86% (12 of 14) of those diagnosed as affectionless psychopaths had experienced frequent seperaton from their mothers. Only 17% (5 of 30) of the thieves not diagnosed had experienced frequent seperation. Furthermore, none of the control participants had experienced early seperation while 39% of thieves had.

Question 6

What were the form of the seperations seen in the juvenile thieves study

Answer 6

Seperations often took the form of continual or repeated stays in foster homes or hospitals

Question 7

Why were the findings of the 44 thieves study a suprise to some people

Answer 7

They suggest that early seperations are linked to affectionless psychopathy, and people people hadn’t considered the long term effects of seperation from children, believing physical and nutritional care were all that was required

Question 8

What did Bowlby suggest was needed for normal mental health

Answer 8

A ‘warm, intimate and continous relationship’ with the primary attachment figure (mother)

Question 9

When will emotional disturbance occur

Answer 9

Only if the child is left alone during the critical period, before two and a half years, and if there is no mother substitute available who can provide suitable emothional care

Question 10

When is the critical period

Answer 10

Before two and a half years (different from Bowlby’s theory of attachment for some reason idk)

Question 11

What is affectionless psychopathy

Answer 11

People who lack normal signs of affection, shame or a sense of responsibility

Question 12

Is it only physically seperation that causes deprivation

Answer 12

No, emotional seperation can cause seperation, for example a depressed mother may be unable to provide suitable care. Radke-Yarow et al studied mothers who were severely depressed and found that 55% of their children were insecurely attached compared to 29% of non-depressed groups.

Question 13

Who did a study on extremely depressed mothers, and what did they find

Answer 13

Radke-Yarrow (radcliffe with a sparrow) found that depressed mothers had a 55% insecure attachment rate compared to 29% non depressed group

Question 14

How do individual differences play a role in attachment here

Answer 14

Not all children are affected the same. Barrett reviewed studies on seperation and concluded securely attached children cope relatively well, but insecurely attached ones may become distressed. Bowlby drew a similar conclusion when studying 60 kids being treated for tuberculosis who had a prolonged hospital stay. They were visted only once a week (major attachment disruption), and when assessed in adolescence only 63% were maladjusted. Bowlby suggests the securely attached ones coped better and be more resilient

Question 15

Who reviewed studies on seperation and what did they find

Answer 15

Barrett found that securely attached children cope relatively well with seperation while insecurely ones become distressed

Question 16

Who conducted a study on tuberculosis kids and what did they find

Answer 16

Bowlby found 60 children in hospital for a long time with only one visit per week, and found that 63% were majusted by adolescence. Used for individual differences argument as not all were malajusted

Question 17

Who criticised Bowlby’s theory for being unclear

Answer 17

Rutter argued that Bowlby didn’t make it clear whether the attachment bond had been broken or unformed in the first place. Rutter believed the latter and differentiated them by refferring to a breaking of bond as ‘privation’ and a failure to develop one as ‘deprivation’.

Question 18

What did rutter use to differentiate between a broke and unformed bond

Answer 18

He called a broken bond ‘privation’ and an unformed bond ‘deprivation’

Question 19

What impact has Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory had on society

Answer 19

Overall positive. Before Bowlby’s research children in hospital were seperated from parents with visiting discouraged or even forbidden. Robertson showed the effects of this when he filmed a two year old during a stay in hospital who frequently was distressed and asked to go home. Bowlby and Robertson’s work has been used to improve the way children are treated in hospotal