Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

Did Bowlby’s material deprivation theory come before or after his theory of attachment?

Answer 1

before

Question 2

What is maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

• The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother/substitute

Question 3

What is separation?

Answer 3

• Child is not in presence of PAF
• Brief separations, where child is left with substitute caregiver who can provide emotional care & is not significant for development

Question 4

What is deprivation?

Answer 4

• prolonged separation without adequate substitute care

Question 5

What is privation?

Answer 5

• Failure to form an attachment in the first place

Question 6

What did Bowlby say the critical period was for psychological development?

Answer 6

• 2 and a half years

Question 7

What happens if child is separated from their mother for an extended duration during the critical period?

Answer 7

• deprived of emotional care so psychological damage is inevitable

Question 8

What two effects does extended deprivation have on a child?

Answer 8

• Effects their intellectual development and emotional development

Question 9

What effects does extended deprivation have on child’s intellectual development?

Answer 9

• abnormally low IQ

Question 10

Whose adoption study supports low IQ because of maternal deprivation and what did they find?

Answer 10

Goldfarb (1947) - found low IQ in children who had remained in institutions compared to those who were fostered

Question 11

What effects does extended deprivation have on a child’s emotional development?

Answer 11

• affectionless psychopathy >inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others
• Inability to form normal relationships; associated with criminality

Question 12

What did Bowlby’s 44 thieves study (1944) examine?

Answer 12

the link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy

Question 13

Who were the two groups in Bowlby’s study?

Answer 13

• 44 teens referred for stealing
• compared to a control group of non criminal emotionally disturbed teen

Question 14

What did Bowlby find about the thieves?

Answer 14

14/44 thieves - affectionless psychopaths
12/14 had experienced prolonged separation

Question 15

What did Bowlby find about the control group?

Answer 15

2/44 experienced long separations
0/44 were affectionless psychopaths

Question 16

What can be concluded from Bowlby’s thieves study?

Answer 16

• Prolonged early separation/deprivation causes affectionless psychopathy

Question 17

What is a limitation of Bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis to do with eveidence?

Answer 17

• based on flawed evidence
• 44 thieves study is flawed because Bowlby carried out both family interviews and assessments for affectionless psychopathy
• open to bias as he knew what to expect
• Goldfarb -problems of CV’s> children in study had experienced early trauma and institutional care as well as prolonged separation from PAF

Question 18

What is another limitation of Bowlby’s maternal deprivation to do with his distinctionof early experiences?

Answer 18

• confusion between two types of early negative experience.
• Rutter draws a distinction between the two types of early negative experience
• Deprivation strictly refers to loss of PAF after attachment has developed
• Privation is failure to form attachment in the first place
• severe long term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation > more likely to be a result of privation (e.g. 44 thieves had disrupted early lives so may never have formed attachment)

Question 19

What evidence is their to refute Bowlby’s idea that damage is inevitable if attachment is not formed in the critical period?

Answer 19

• Koluchva reported case of Czech twins who experienced emotional & psychological abuse from the age of 18 months up until they were 7
• experienced good quality aftercare and fully recovered by the time they were teens