Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation Flashcards
What was Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
Mother love is just as important for mental health as vitamins are for physical
What is maternal deprivation?
Separation from primary attachment figure that is prolonged and results in a lack of emotional care
What is the critical period in infants?
The first 2.5 years and deprivation in this time has long term effects
What does maternal deprivation effect?
Intellectual and emotional developement
What i the effect on intellectual development?
It causes an abnormally low IQ
What is the effect on emotional development?
Affectionless psychopathy - the inability to experience guilt or strong emotions
What is a supporting study of this theory?
Bowlby’s and Bifulco
What was Bowlby’s aim of the 44 thieves study?
The see if there is a link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation in young offenders
What were Bowlby’s findings?
14 of them could be described as affectionless psychopaths with 12 of them experienced prolonged separation from their mother in the first 2 years of their life.
What was Bifulco’s procedure?
250 women who had lost their mothers before 17 about the rate of anxiety and depression
What were Bifulco’s findings?
Those who lost their mother trough separation death had double the sink of depressive and anxiety disorders and the rate was highest in those whos mother’s died before they ere 6, supporting the critical period.
What is a limitation of Bowlby’s theory?
Rutter - failed to distinguish between deprivation and privation.
What is privation?
When an attachment never formed in the first place
Why is Rutter’s work a limaition?
He claimed that Bowlby’s was muddling privation and deprivation and suggests the severe long-term damage was actually due to privation
