Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

what Bowlby believed about maternal deprivation

Answer 1

infants need a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with a mother/substitute

if a child was denied maternal care due to frequent/prolonged separation they may become emotionally disturbed but would only have an effect during the critical period.

Question 2

long term consequences

Answer 2

intellectual development- mental retardation characterised by a low IQ on the normal distribution graph.

emotional development- become an ‘affectionless psychopath’ meaning the inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others

Question 3

44 thieves study:

Answer 3

examined the links between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation. Used a sample of 44 delinquent teenagers and 44 non criminal teenagers, their families were interviewed to establish if there was prolonged separation from their mothers. 14/44 thieves were affectionless psychopaths and 17 had maternal deprivation. In control group 2/44 had maternal separation and none were affectionless psychopaths.

Question 4

AO3: strength- further research support

however, replicated the 44 thieves study and results were not the same

Answer 4

P: further research support
E/E: researcher found that children raised in orphanages for the first 3 years of their life suffered intellectually and socially in later life
L: this provides further support for Bowlbys research into the theory of maternal deprivation
HOWEVER, a researcher replicated the 44 thieves study with a larger sample of children but didn’t find that early deprivation predicted a greater likelihood of criminal behaviour. Suggests other factors may be involved which mediate the consequences of maternal deprivation

Question 5

AO3: limitation- finding are correlational

however, was a natural experiment

Answer 5

P: findings are correlational
E/E: he found a relationship between deprivation and being an affectionless psychopath but it is not clear that the early separation caused these issues as there could have been other factors involved.
L: therefore cause and effect can’t be established when it comes to Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation.
HOWEVER, the study was a natural experiment. This means that both the teenagers and their families completed the experiment in their natural surroundings. Shows Bowlbys theory is high in external validity

Question 6

AO3: strength- had a significant impact on practices in institutions

Answer 6

P: the research has had significant impact on practices in institutions
E: such as hospitals where infants are likely to experience prolonged separation from caregivers. Historically visiting children in hospitals was restricted.
E: researchers observed a two year old girl who was hospitalised, she struggled to cope with emotional deprivation and demonstrated distress. This lead to providing substitute care for children in the absence of parents
L: provides supports for the results of Bowlbys research

Question 7

AO3: limitation- criticised for not making the distinction clear between deprivation and privation

Answer 7

P: criticised for not making the distinction clear between deprivation and privation
E: rutter suggests that privation leads to more damaging consequences for the child than experiences deprivation.
E: he disapproved of bowlby using the two words interchangeably
L: could lead to confusion