maternal deprivation Flashcards
who studied the effects of maternal deprivation?
John Bowlby
what was Bowlby’s critical period?
30 months
what is the result of insufficient care within the critical period? (in general)
irreversible damage
what 3 forms of damage are caused by maternal deprivation, according to Bowlby?
delinquency, affectionless psychopathy, low IQ
explain delinquency (the root of it, and what it means for behaviours performed)
due to delayed social development, behaviour is often outside social norms, such as petty crimes.
explain affectionless psychopathy (the root of it, and what it means for behaviours performed)
due to delayed emotional development, children are unable to show caring behaviour to others or empathy for peoples feelings, and have little guilt for their harmful actions.
explain low IQ (the root of it, and what it means for behaviours performed)
due to delayed intellectual development, general cognitive abilities are lower than peers
what theory does Bowlby use to explain the continuity of abnormal social behaviour in later life due to maternal deprivation?
due to the internal working model
explain Bowlby’s theory for continuity of abnormal social behaviour in later life due to maternal deprivation
a schema is created based on early disruption in a child’s attachment to their primary caregiver. This creates an “internal working model” that shapes future relationships, based off of neglectful experiences.
what study did Bowlby conduct into maternal deprivation?
the 44 thieves study
explain the method of Bowlby’s study
In the “44 Thieves” study, John Bowlby interviewed 44 juvenile thieves and a control group of 44 non-delinquent children from a child guidance clinic. He assessed their histories for prolonged separation from their primary caregiver and examined their emotional development to investigate links between early separation and later behaviour.
explain the findings of Bowlby’s study
The findings showed that 14 of the 44 thieves were identified as “affectionless psychopaths,” lacking empathy and guilt. Of these 14, 12 had experienced prolonged maternal separation in early childhood. In contrast, only 2 children in the control group had experienced similar separations, suggesting a link between early separation and later antisocial behaviour.
