Lesson 7: Maternal Deprivation

Question 1

Bowlby proposed that children who suffer prolonged emotional deprivation cause by absence of primary figure will have:

Answer 1

Lower IQ
Social Deliquency
Emotional Difficulties
Possible Mental Health issues

Question 2

What does continuity hypothesis say about maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

These affects are irreversible and continue into adulthood due to a lack of an internal working model, which could even lead to an inability to be a good parent,

Question 3

What was Bowlby’s study on maternal deprivation?

Answer 3

Analysed case histories in child guidance clinic, children who were emotionally maladjusted. 88 children (44 caught thieving and 44 control group).

Question 4

What were Bowlby’s finding from his maternal deprivation study?

Answer 4

Bowlby suggested that 14/44 were affectmonless psychopaths (lacked affection, responsibility and shame for their actions) and had frequent early separations from their mothers. 12/44 affectmonless psychos experienced this compared to 5/30 thieves.

Question 5

Positive evaluation of maternal deprivation

Answer 5

1. Before this, hospitals would not allow parents to visit children, damaging effect on child
2. Spitz found children displayed anaclitic depression after poor quality orphanages, where staff were undertrained and overworked
3. Skodak and Skeels found that children’s IQ improved by 30 after given emotional care from an orphanage.

Question 6

Negative evaluation of maternal deprivation

Answer 6

1. Tizard and Hodges, adoption 4 year olds reversible
2. Bowlby did not distinguish between deprivation (when attachment figure is lost) and privation (when the child has never formed an attachment). It could be the latter that causes extreme negative effect observed in some studies.