Maternal Deprivation

Question 1

What is maternal deprivation?

Answer 1

A separation between a child and their mother figure during the critical period that disrupts the formation of attachment. This leads to irreversible damage to the infant’s emotional and intellectual development

Question 2

What is the first emotional effect of maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

Lack of internal working model:
- since the child lacks a primary caregiver they fail to develop a healthy template for what to expect from future intimate relationships
- Not having an IWM negatively affects the emotional and social development of an infant e.g. inability to form healthy relationships in the future

Question 3

What is the second emotional effect?

Answer 3

Affectionless psychopathy:
- maternal deprivation leads to individuals being less likely to feel guilt and remorse for their wrongdoings

Question 4

What is another emotional effect?

Answer 4

Delinquency - people who experienced maternal deprivation have higher rates of delinquency (minor crimes at a young age)

Question 5

How does maternal deprivation effect intellectual development?

Answer 5

Mental Retardation:
- Bowlby argued that suffering from MD for too long during CP causes mental retardation
- This is characterised by an abnormally low IQ
- Goldfarb found that children who remained in institutions instead of being adopted had a lower IQ due to the lower standard of emotional care

Question 6

What was the method for the 44 thieves study?

Answer 6

• Bowlby analysed case history of maladjusted children
• 44 of these children had been caught stealing
• 14/44 did not feel any remorse
• Bowlby called these ‘affectionless thieves’

Question 7

What were the findings and conculsions of the 44 thieves study?

Answer 7

FINDINGS:
- 12/14 of the affectionless thieves did experience MD e.g. from long hospital stays or being in foster homes
- Whereas only 5/30 of the remaining theives experienced MD

CONCLUSIONS:
- Led to Bowlby devising the MD theory which argued that experiencing a loss of a mother figure in early lfe does lead to intellectual and emotional deficit

Question 8

What is a strength of the theory?

Answer 8

• A strength is that there is supporting evidence for MD leading to emotional consequences
• Bifulco et al conducted a study on women who had experienced MD either due to separation or maternal death
• Bifulco found that 25% experienced depression or anxiety disorder later in life compared to only 15% of women who did not experience MD
• The mental health problems were much greater for those who experienced MD before the age of 6
• This is a strength because it shows that MD leads to damage to emotional development and supports the idea that the closer it occurs to the critical period the more severe the damage
• This validates MD theory

Question 9

How do the Koluchova twins weaken the theory?

Answer 9

• A weakness of the theory is that there is refuting evidence regarding the effects of MD being irreversible
• Bowlby used the term critical period as he believed prolonged separation with the mother during this time would lead to problems later in life
• The Koluchova twins were twin brothers who were isolated by being locked in a cupboard from the age of 18 months to 7 years. However, when they were given the care of two loving adults and recovered fully as they went on to have loving families of their own
• This is a weakness because it shows that the effects of MD are reversible with high quality emotional care allowing the formation of functional emotional bonds
• As Bowlby underestimated the impact of good care in reversing the emotional impact of MD thus decreasing validity

Question 10

How does Lewis weaken the theory?

(can’t use in 8 marker as won’t talk about 44 thieves)

Answer 10

• A weakness of MD is that there is refuting evidence
• Lewis partially replicated the 44 thieves study with 500 people. In her sample she found that MD didn’t lead to criminality
• This is a weakness because it shows that the effects of MD are not consistent for everyone. There may be other factors such as religion decreasing the impact of MD on delinquency and criminal behaviour later in life
• Therefore MD theory is incomplete as it doesn’t provide a full explanation of how MD affects behaviour thus reducing validity