Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation Flashcards
Define maternal deprivation.
The loss of emotional care that is normally produced by a caregiver.
How does deprivation occur?
When a child has been separated from their caregiver for an extended period of time.
Outline Bowlbys idea of the critical period. (maternal deprivation)
Bowlby saw the first 2 and a half years of life as a critical period for development.
If a child is separated from their mother in the absence of suitable care for an extended duration during this critical period then psychological damage is inevitable.
Outline the two types of development maternal deprivation can have an impact on.
-Intellectual development
-Emotional development
Outline the consequences of maternal deprivation on intellectual development.
Bowlby said that if children were deprived of maternal care then they would experience delayed intellectual development.
E.g a lower IQ than average.
Outline the consequences of maternal deprivation on emotional development.
It increases their risks of becoming an affectionless psychopath.
What is an affectionless psychopath?
Affectionless psychopathy is classified as the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion towards others. This prevents a person from achieving fulfilling relationships and this is associated with criminals.
Outline the procedure of Bowlbys 44 thieves study.
Procedure
-44 male criminal teenagers accused of stealing were interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy.
-Their families were interviewed in order to establish whether the thieves had experienced prolonged early separations from their mothers.
-The sample was compared to a control group of 44 people who were not criminals but were mentally disturbed.
Aim of Bowlbys 44 thieves study.
To examine the link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation.
Outline the findings of Bowlbys 44 thieves study.
14 of the 44 thieves could be described as affectionless psychopathy and 12 of these 14 had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers in their first two years of life.
5 of the remaining 30 thieves had experienced seperations.
Only 2/44 of the control group had experienced seperations.
What can we conclude from Bowlbys 44 thieves study?
Prolonged early separations/deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy and this is linked to criminal behaviour.
Give a strength of Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation (practical application)
For example, Bowlbysys research has led to many policy changes around institutions and how they treat children. Such as when children were in hospital prior to his research, their primary caregivers were only allowed to see them during visiting hours however after his research, primary care givers can stay with their children at the hospital. Therefore, Bowlbys theory has led to the improvement of welfare policies based on children.
Give a limitation of bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation. (researcher bias)
One limitation of Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation is the researcher bias involved in the 44 thieves study. For example, Bowlbys study is flawed as it was Bowlby himself who carried out the family interviews and assessments. This left him open to bias as he knew in advance which teenagers he expected to show signs of psychopathy. This means that Bowlbys original sources of evidence had serious flaws and this limits the validity of his study.
Give a limitation of Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation (research evidence to contradict the critical period).
For example, Koluchova (1976) reported a case of two Czech twins who experienced very severe physical and emotional abuse from the age of 18 months to 7 years old. Although they were serberely damaged emotionally by their experienced they recieved excellent care after they were found and recovered fully. This shows that lasting harm is not inevitable if an attachment is not formed in the critical period. Therefore a critical period is better referred to as a sensitive period.
