bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

define monotropy

Answer 1

Bowlby defines it as unique attachment bond between mother and infant
mother acts as a secure base which child uses to explore surroundings and return to for comfort and safety

Question 2

what is Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

Bowlby argues if the child’s monotropic attachment is disrupted during the critical period (e.g. prolonged separation) this results in negative and irreversible consequences e.g. affects infant’s social, emotional and intellectual skills

Question 3

what are the consequences of deprivation

Answer 3

delinquency: disrupted social development leads to behaviour outside acceptable norms
affectionless psychopathy: disrupted emotional development leads to inability to show caring behaviour, empathy or guilt
low IQ: disrupted intellectual development leads to cognitive abilities lower than peers

Question 4

what is the internal working model?

Answer 4

as the monotropic relationship with the mother is the first and most important relationship for the infant, it forms a schema for future relationships

Question 5

what is the continuity hypothesis?

Answer 5

this suggests deprivation caused by prolonged separation from mother limits the ability of infant to form an effective internal working model leading to unsuccessful childhood and adult relationships and issues with parenting skills

Question 6

research evidence supporting Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 6

Bowlby (1944) interviewed 44 child thieves and 44 emotionally disturbed non-thieves (control group)
affectionless psychopathy was assessed
parents asked about maternal deprivation during critical period
findings: 13 thieves matched criteria for affectionless psychopathy compared to 0 in control
12 of the thieves had experienced prolonged separation compared to 2 in control
suggests a link between maternal deprivation and delinquency

Question 7

evaluations of Bowlby’s theory and study

Answer 7

• 44 thieves study is correlational - cannot make a causation as deprivation and delinquency could be linked by a 3rd father e.g. extreme poverty, criminal relatives as role models, history of mental health problems etc
  + work on attachment led to significant changes to policies related to child welfare e.g. ratio of carers and infants in nursery
• work on attachment impacted economy as nurseries are more expensive and focus on maternity rather than paternity leave results in increase in gender pay gap due to social sensitivity
• monotropy exaggerates importance of mother as primary carer - alpha bias as it underestimates role of father unlike Schaffer (multiple attachment) and Field (role of father)
• Bowlby argues for a critical period and irreversible damage due to deprivation however orphan studies suggest children have a sensitive period instead - studies show effects can be reversed

Question 8

define institutionalisation

Answer 8

when children are cared for by the state

Question 9

effects of institutionalisation

Answer 9

alter behaviour e.g. the adoption of rules and norms of the institution
institutions are unable to provide the same level of physical and emotional care
negative influence on childhood development

Question 10

define deprivation

Answer 10

not receiving suitable emotional care from primary attachment figure through frequent or extended absences of primary caregiver

Question 11

define privation

Answer 11

total lack of care
no ability to form an attachment bond

Question 12

example of institutional privation

Answer 12

1990 - ~170,000 abandoned children living in privation in Romanian orphanages
lacked physical and emotional care
were malnourished and abused
some were adopted into Western families at different ages –> Rutter (1988-2011) conducted a natural, longitudinal study of 165 Romanian orphans adopted by British families

Question 13

Romanian orphan studies (Rutter)

Answer 13

procedure: children grouped into age of adoption: under 6 months, 6months-2years, older than 2 with a control of British adoptees who did not experience privation
findings: age 6 - children adopted at 6 months or older showed disinhibited attachment - overly friendly behaviour to strange adults
age 11 - over half the children who showed disinhibited attachment at age 6 still displayed this behaviour as well showed significant delayed physical, emotional and intellectual development
children adopted after 1 year old had an average IQ of 77 compared to 102 in those adopted under 6 months
quasi-autism tendencies identified in some cases - problems understanding meaning of social context
age 15 - intellectual problems continued
conclusion: research suggests adoption within first 6 months is important as rate of recovery depends on age at adoption and effects of privation are severe and long lasting but even if adopted after 2 years show recovery suggesting a sensitive period not critical

Question 14

evaluation of romanian orphan studies

Answer 14

+ practical application - changed policies around adoption and care in orphanages e.g. higher level of care to infants and focus on ensuring early age of adoption
- Romanian orphans were not randomly assigned families but selected - possible bias if more sociable children picked for adoption
+ helped support existing theories - first few months are vital for forming an internal working model
- challenges existing theories - Bowlby argues if children miss critical period for development the harm is permanent but this study suggests a sensitive period with damage being addressed with care
+ support for sensitive period - study into adopted children found that children coped better on measures of behavioural and peer relationships than children returned to abusive families - suggests adverse affects of institutionalisation can be overcome with adequate substitute care