Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation (AO1) Flashcards
What did Bowlby say about maternal deprivaton?
loss of an existing attachment could result in serious + long-lasting problems
he argues that during the critical period 0-2.5 if separated from mother damage was inevitable
BUT brief separations don’t have only long-lasting effects, only if separated from primary attachment for an extended period of time in the absence of substitute emotional care
What are the 4 Key Features of bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
Separation vs. Deprivation
Value of Maternal Care
The Critical Period
Effects on Development
What is the difference between Separation vs. Deprivation?
separation - when the child is not in the presence of their primary caregiver, it’s short term + has no long-term effect
deprivation - prolonged periods of separation, it’s long-term + has serious developmental effects on the child, it’s the loss of a primary attachment figure after an attachment has developed
What is the Value of Maternal Care?
B believed that it wasn’t enough to keep a child fed/safe/warm
B believed that infants need a warm, intimate, continuous relationship with the mother to ensure good mental health
What is the Critical Period?
good emotional care before age 2.5 years is essential for healthy development
if deprived of this care during the critical period B said psychological damage was possible
What are the Effects on Development?
Cognitive Development - abnormally low IQ
Social Development - delinquency + increased aggressiveness
Psychological Development - depression
Emotional Development - affectionless psychopathy
What is Affectionless Psychopathy?
lack of emotion
lack of guilt
impulsive
inability to form meaningful & lasting relationships
What study did B conduct to explore his theory of Maternal Deprivation?
The 44 Thieves Study
What was the aim of the 44 Thieves Study?
to determine whether there is a correlation between maternal deprivation in infancy and adolescent delinquency, in particular ‘affectionless psychopathy’
What was the Procedure of the 44 thieves study?
44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing
interviewed by B for signs of affectionless psychopathy
families also interviewed to see if they had prolonged early separations from mothers
control group (matched on age and IQ so matched pairs design) of 44 emotionally disturbed young non-criminals
What were the Findings of the 44 Thieves Study?
out of the 44 thieves: 14 were ‘affectionless psychopaths’ vs. 0 of the control group were
out of the 14 ap: 12 had experienced prolonged separation from their mother
out of the 30 non-ap: only 5 had experienced separation from mother
in the control group: 2 had experienced separation from mother
