Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

What is ‘maternal deprivation’?

Answer 1

• the loss of the primary attachment figure (either through death or separation)
• in the critical period of 0-30 months.

Question 2

What effect did Bowlby claim that it had? Why?

Answer 2

• lead to irreversible effects on emotional, social and cognitive development.
• primary attachment forms a secure base and haven of safety which allow the child to explore and form an internal working model, which is expectations the child would have in subsequent relationships.

Question 3

What is an internal working model?

Answer 3

A set of expectations that the child would have in subsequent relationships as a result of their relationships between their caregivers

Question 4

What is deprivation?

Answer 4

loss of something that was never there

Question 5

What is privation?

Answer 5

the loss or absence of a quality or attribute that is normally present

Question 6

when is the critical period?

Answer 6

0-30 months.

Question 7

What did bowlby not distinguish between?

Answer 7

privation or deprivation of a maternal figure

Question 8

Describe the 44 thieves study and what suggestion did he give to justify their actions?

Answer 8

-analysed case histories of 88 children from the Child Guidance Clinic who were emotionally maladjusted
- Half had been caught stealing/ other half control group.
He suggested the thieves could steal from others because they were affectionless psychopaths - they lacked normal signs of affection or sense of responsibility.

Question 9

What was the difference between the control group and thieves?

Answer 9

• had experienced frequently early separations from their mothers
• 14 of thieves diagnosed as AP
• no control group diagnosed as AP

Question 10

Within the ‘Affectionless thieves’ what had 86% experienced?

Answer 10

frequent separations compared with 17% of the other thieves

Question 11

What did bowlby conclude?

Answer 11

• early separation linked to AP

- lack of continuous care causing emotional maladjustment

Question 12

What did Bifulco et al find and how does this support Bowlby’s claim?

Answer 12

• investigated women who had experienced separation from their mothers either due to maternal death or temporary separation of more than a year.
• found about 25% later experienced depression/ anxiety disorder
• compared with 15% who had experienced no separation.
• difference, supports Bowlby’s notion of a critical period.

Question 13

Why might it be important to reconsider the emphasis on physical separation as suggested by Radke-yarrow? (limitation)

Answer 13

• Radke-Yarrow et al studied mothers who were severely depressed
• 55% of their children were insecurely attached,
• 29% in the non-depressed group.
• may be due to the mother, although physically present, being unable to provide suitable emotional care
• challenges theory as it fails to address the psychological separation as deprivation

Question 14

What were the real world implications? Why is this important?

Answer 14

• led to major social changes in the way children were cared for in the hospital
• Before, children separated from parents
• visiting was discouraged and even forbidden
• now parents are encouraged to visit
• greater flexibility in visiting hours
• reflect the importance of such contact.
• Positive application to improve child rearing practices in hospitals

Question 15

Not all children were affected in the same way. What are the different ways in which this can be explained?

Answer 15

• B studied 60 C required remain hospital prolonged probably experience early disruption of A
• assessing C during adolescence, no significant differences between ‘normal’ peers in terms of intellectual development
• suggested that individual differences, resilience may be more important when examining the effects of deprivation
• individual differences may be more important factor when examining the effects of deprivation,
• not mentioned in the original study.