Mother as the Primary Care Giver Flashcards
Intro. What is a primary care giver?
The person who is most responsible for an infant’s health, developmetn and wellbeing
Intro. Social/ethical implication of traditional role?
Many women may feel unable to return to work after having children as society may overemphasis the importance of the mother
Intro. What did Pew research centre find?
16% of primary care givers are male - society promotes equality raising the question of whether a woman is the ‘best’ PCG
1 What did Freud believe?
The mother infant relationship was of the greatest importance in the oral stage of psychosexual development.
1 What happens if there is a problem at any stage of development?
Can result in the child getting fixated at the body part associated with that stage - long lasting effect
1 Key events at the oral stage?
Breast feeding and weaning onto solid food
1 Adult personality when fixated?
Over indulged - optimistic, gullible, needy
Under indulged - pessimistic, envious, sarcastic
1 What is separation anxiety caused by?
The infant realising that their bodily needs will go unsatisfied if separtion is allowed .
1 What does a mother’s love act as?
A prototype for every relationship the infant will go on to have in their lifetime
2 Historical context?
At the time he was writing women did not even have the right to vote and their lives were solely lived in the home - ideas may reflect norms and values in society
2 What happens in the phallic stage?
A young boy comes to desire his mother and regard his father as a rival. he will wish his dad is dead which will cause anxiety. - resolved when boy comes to identify with his father allowing the boy to develop normal, healthy friendhips and heterosexual relationships
2 What did Freud recognise?
The importance of the role of a father in a boy’s development
3 What did Bowlby’s research demonstrate?
Early and prolonged separation can have lasting emotional effects
3 What can separation lead to?
An affectionless character - lacks the ability to feel normal affection, shame or sense of responsibility - more likely to become a thief
3 What did Bolwby develop these views into?
Maternal deprivation hypothesis
3 What did Bowlby identify?
A central role for the mother in healthy emotional development
3 What was Bowlby influenced by?
Initially Freud’s ideas but was later influenced by the evolutionary theory - proposed that attachment to one caregiver has special importance for survival (monotropy)
4 What did Bowlby believe?
A child should experience a warm, intimate and continuous relatonship with his/her mother or permanent substitute
4 What is ‘mothering’ not exclusive to?
a child’s mother - other people can act as a PCG
4 What did Bowlby study?
Children with TB who spent years in hopsital - most showed few problems in later life
4 What can be suggested about Bowlby’s study?
Findings may only be applicable to the ppts studied. - low external validity as they cannot be generalised
5 Why are women the best PCG?
Most men are just not psychologically equppied to form this kind of intense emotional relationship
5 Biological factors?
Female - oestrogen underlies caring behaviour as well as the release of oxytocin after giving birth and during breast feeding
5 Social factors?
Heerman (1994)?
Gender stereotypes that can affect males’ behaviour - feminine to be sensitive
Heerman - evidence that men are less sensitive to infant cues than mothers.
6 What did Frodi (1978) find?
no differnces in the biological responses of men and women even though their social responses differed - equally as sensitive
6 Validity of Frodi’s study?
low ecological validity - not real face to face experience as videotapes are used
6 Single male parent families/same sex families?
Plenty of evidencce that men are capable of forming close attachments with their children
6 What does the change in gender stereotypes mean?
men and women feel freer to take on roles traditionally reserved for the opposite sex
6 What did Gettler (2011) suggest?
New father’s testosterone levels drop when in the presence of a newborn child - help to respond more sensitively
Cult. Aka tribe?
Men take on an important care giving role - in reach of their infants 47% of the time and take on many roles including allowing them to suckle on their nipple to stimulate breast feeding
Soc. economic issues?
Mothers feel unable to go back to work - if mother earns more this could limit income of the family and have broader implications for the UK economy as it could decrease productivity and reduce size o the economy
Soc. Shared parental leave?
Fathers and mothers can divide the 52 weeks off work as they see fit - reflects how parents in the UK are moving awat from the traditional view that the mother should be the PCG
Conc. Out of date?
Healthy development relies on multiple imprtant relationships
Conc. What did Bowlby propose?
Secondary attachments provide a vital emotional safety net for situations where the PCG is absent.
Conc. What has research shown?
Geiger (1996)?
Men typically provide an equally important ingredient in development
Geiger - fathers are more playful, physically active and generally better at providing challenging situations
