Deprivation Flashcards
Define deprivation.
The breaking or loss of an emotional bond after an attachment has been formed.
What are the three stages of Short-Term deprivation?
1- Protest (crying, screaming, struggling to escape or cling to mother).
2- Despair (They become calmer, but still feel angry, fear and sadness, making them depressed and sad, rocking and sucking their thumb)
3- Detachment (It will begin treating everyone the same, artificially and would need to ‘relearn’ the attachment, or lose it).
Define Short-Term deprivation.
Refers to an attachment being removed for a short period of time (nursery, hours, days)
Define Long-Term deprivation.
Refers to an attachment being lost for a longer periods of time- divorce, death, years.
Explain the differences between ‘normal people’ and people who suffered from long-term deprivation (Richards 1995).
He identified a number of typical effects of deprivation on children:
Low levels of academic attainment and self-esteem.
Higher incidence of behavioral problems.
Earlier social maturity (including sex, leaving home,marrying)
Lower socio-economic class and moving around in jobs
Explain a study that supported the idea of deprivation.
Spitz- He studied institutionalized children and found that the deprived children became depressed. If they had been attached for the first 6 months, they were well developed, but if this is broken. After short periods of deprivation, they were partially depressed, and after then they were severely depressed. These partially depressed children could be readjusted to their mother, but severely depressed children showed weight loss, insomnia, illness and some died.
Brief evaluation of Spitz
Strengths:
High ecological validity (real children in real institutions)
It was over a long period of time, so was in-depth.
Weaknesses:
His results could be biased- he didn’t use careful sampling.
There could have been cultural differences.
Describe Robertson and Bowlby (1952)
They filmed a two year old girl- Laura in her stay at hospital, and saw the stages of deprivation.
Describe a more modern, scientific study that shows deprivation.
Pollack et al (2010) did a series of tests onto children who had long-term/short-term deprivation, compared to normal children and found that the deprived children had more auditory problems, and brain structure.
Explain factors affecting deprivation.
Age- At 7 months a child is most distressed than at 3 years as older children are more independent and understand explanations.
Individual differences in personality- Aggressive or quiet children tend to be more depressed by separation.
Strength of existing attachment- Children with strong, stable attachments are more likely to cope with short-term deprivation than those with loose attachments.
How can effects of deprivation be reversed?
Avoiding separation in the critical period can help to establish strong bonds, and lessen negative effects.
A replacement figure can lessen the effects.
