L8 - bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

what is maternal deprivation

Answer 1

children who suffer prolonged emotion deprivation (absence of primary attachment figure) will have long term intellectual, social and emotional difficulties
continuity hypothesis - effects are irreversible, lack of internal working model means inability to be a good parent

Question 2

what was the procedure of bowlby’s 44 thieves study

Answer 2

• analysed case histories at a child guidance clinic in london
• studied 88 - half caught stealing, half control group
• suggested that 14 were affectionless psychopaths - lacked affection, shame and responsibility

Question 3

what did bowlby find from the 44 thieves study

Answer 3

• those diagnosed as affectionless psychopaths had experienced frequent early separations from their mothers
• 12 of psychopaths had frequent separations compared to the 5 out of 30 of thieves who were not classed as psychopaths
• almost none of control group experiences early separations from mothers

Question 4

strengths of bowlby’s 44 thieves study

Answer 4

• spitz examined children in a poor quality orphanage in SA, members of staff were overworked, under trained and rarely gave children attention or affection, children displayed anaclitic depression (loss of appetite, sleeplessness, sadness)
• skodas and skeeles found children placed in institutions only looked after physically scored poorly on IQ tests, when same children transferred, they received emotional care and IQ improved by almost 30 points

Question 5

weaknesses of bowlby’s 44 thieves study

Answer 5

• effects of maternal deprivation shown to be reversible. tizard found that children who never formed attachments and were adopted after age 4 were still able to form attachments to their new parents
• did not distinguish between deprivation (loss of attachment figure) and privation (attachment never formed), could be privations which causes extreme negative effects observed in some studies