Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation (Disruption of Attachment) Flashcards
define maternal deprivation
the emotional / intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother/ mother substitute
From Bowlby’s belief that continuous care from mother/ substitute is essential in normal development, what did he suggest would occur if this lacked?
He believes that if a child’s attachment bond is disrupted (deprived) before the end of the critical period (2.5 years), there would be developmental damage in the form of intellectual, emotional and social issues e.g delinquency
What did Bowlby state mother love is as important to?
‘mother love in infancy and childhood is as important for mental health as are vitamins and proteins for physical health’
What is the difference between separation and deprivation?
deprivation occurs when an infant is separated from their PAF, and no one replaces this care.
However, separation is when you are not with your PAF, and that you’re not suffering from deprivation if the care is substituted.
What is the period for deprivation damage and if the damage occurred what were the two areas Bowlby suggested would be delayed?
0 - 2.5 years of age
but can still occur up to 5 years of age
Delay the child’s intellectual / emotional development.
What did Skeels + Dye (1939) track and find that supports Bowlby’s ‘ Maternal Deprivation ‘ theory?
they tracked IQs, using IQ tests, of children who had been placed in an orphanage.
Found that their IQs were exceptionally low.
What did Skodak + Skeels (1949) do, regarding orphans?
They placed children from an orphanage who had low IQs into a house for the mentally retarded.
After what length of time had Skodak + Skeels (1949) seen a difference in the IQs scores of the children in the home, what were the results and what caused this?
After 1 1/2 years, the IQs had increased from 64 to 92 (80 - 120 being normal)
The increase occurred due to having better emotional care.
What do the results from Skodak + Skeel’s (1949) study regarding the orphan child suggest about separation?
Suggests that separation from the PAF may damage IQ but the negative effects can be reversed with later care.
Supporting Skodak + Skeels, what did Goldfaub (1947) find regarding children’s IQs?
Found lower IQ in children who had remained in institutions, compared to those who had been fostered.
Who did Bowlby conduct a study on in 1944, and what did he find, regarding separation?
He conducted a study on 44 child criminals.
He found most of them had been separated from their PAF for significant periods of their childhood.
What did Bowlby find regarding the 44 thieves and who was this compared to?
Compared to 44 control children who weren’t thieves, Bowlby found that the 44 thieves had much higher levels of PAF separation.
What were the three things that the 44 young criminals showed?
-low levels of affection for others
-low levels of shame
-low feelings of responsibility for their actions
What did Bowlby state about the minority of the 44 young criminals?
’ some were affectionless psychopaths, who had significantly been damaged due to the lack of a PAF’
What is the main issue with Bowlby’s ‘ Maternal Deprivation’ issue?
he conducted interviews on the 44 criminal boy’s families before he observed them, so he may have known who would’ve displayed problem behaviour.
This influences bias and beta bias.
