Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation Flashcards
What is privation?
Not having the opportunity to form a bond in the first instance
What is maternal deprivation?
A bond or attachment has been formed with the main caregiver but it has been disrupted for some reason
What is separation?
Not being in the presence of the primary attachment figure
When does separation becomes deprivation?
If they lose an elemental of care.
When did Bowlby come up with his Theory of maternal deprivation?
1951
How came up with the theory of maternal deprivation?
Bowlby
Why is continuous emotional care from a mother essential?
For a normal development and intellectual development
What did Bowlby say the critical period is?
30 months
What happens in with no substitution of emotional care if a child is separated from his mother for longer than 30 months?
Inevitable psychological damage
What does deprivation do to your intellectual development?
Lowers IQ
How found research to support the effect of deprivation on your IQ?
Goldfarb (1947)
What is deprivation linked to according to emotional development?
Affectionless psychopathy
What is affectionless psychopathy?
Lack of emotional care causing the inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others
What happens to a persons social life if a person has affectionless psychopathy?
- Cannot develop a normal relationship
- Associated with criminality
Who studied into maternal deprivation?
Bowlby
What did Bowlby (1944) study?
44 Thieves Study
What was the procedure of Bowlby (1944)?
- 44 delinquent teenagers accused of stealing interviewed
- Interview with family
Why were the teenagers interviewed?
-For signs of affectionless psychopathy
What are the signs of affectionless psychopathy?
- Lack of affection
- Lack of guilt
- Lack of empathy
What were the families interviewed?
To establish any prolonged separations from mothers
What are the findings of Bowlby (1944)?
- 14 of 44 = affectionless psychopathy
- 12 of 14 = Prolonged separations from mothers in the first 2 years of life
What is a flaw in Goldfarb (1947)?
He knew what he was looking for so chance for bias
What did Lewis (1954) do?
Replicated 44 thieves on a larger scale of 500 young people
Did the findings of Lewis (1954) support Bowlby’s (1951) study on maternal deprivation?
No
What did Koluchova’s (1976) conduct?
A case study
Who were the individuals in Koluchova’s (1976) case study?
Czech twin boys
How were the Czech twin boys isolated?
In a cupboard
What happened to the Czech twin boys?
Looked after and loved by adults
Did the Czech twins recover?
Yes
What does Koluchova suggest?
That the critical period is actually a sensitive period
Does Levy et al (2003) support Bowlby’s (1951) study?
Yes
What did Levy et al (2003) show?
Separating baby rats from their mothers for as little as a day has a permanent effect on social development
What does Rutter (1981) criticise about Bowlby?
Not distinguishing between deprivation and privation
