Theory of maternal deprevavtion Flashcards
What is deprivation?
Prolonged separation between child and caregiver so that an element of care is taken away
What is separation?
Distress when physically separated for a relatively short period of time from primary caregiver
What is Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
The idea that continual presence of nurture from a caregiver is essential for normal psychological development of the infant, both emotionally and intellectually.
What is maternal deprivation?
The emotional and intellectual consequences of prolonged separation between a child and their primary caregiver
What are two consequences of maternal deprivation?
- Damage to emotional development (affectionless psychopathy
- Damage to intellectual development (IQ)
What is affectionless psychopathy?
Inability to experience guilt or emotions for others. It is associated with criminality= consequence of deprivation
Name a study which shows a link between maternal deprivation and poor intellectual development
Goldfarb (1947)
Name a study which shows a link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy
Bowlby’s 44 thieves (1944)
Describe the study which shows a link between maternal deprivation and poor intellectual development
Effects on intellectual development: Goldfarb (1947)
Aim: To see whether the amount of time spent in an orphanage would have a detrimental effect on the intelligence of infants
Procedure: Studied 2 groups: group 1= spent few months in orphanage and then fostered, group 2= spent 3 years in orphanage and then fostered. Infants given IQ tests until the age of 12.
Findings: Found that group 2 infants performed less well on the IQ tests (68) compared to group 1 infants who had a score of 96. Group 2 children were also less social and more likely to be aggressive.
Describe the study which shows a link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy
Effects on emotional development: Bowlby’s 44 thieves (1944):
Aim: To investigate the links between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation.
Procedure: Sample= 44 teenage delinquents. They were interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy and their families were interviewed to assess the extent to which there was early prolonged separation from their mothers. A control group off 44 non-criminal teenagers were used as a comparison.
Findings: 17/44 thieves had maternal separation and 14/44 had affectionless psychopathy.
Of these 14 thieves, 12 had experienced prolonged separation in the 1st 2 years of their life. In the control group only 2 teenagers had maternal separation and none were categorised as affectionless psychopaths.
What are the two strengths of bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
Real-world application- Bowlby’s theory had an enormous, positive impact on post-war thinking about childrearing and also on how children were looked after in hospitals.
Before Bowlby’s research, children were separated from parents when they spent time in hospital. Visiting was discouraged or even forbidden. E.G- two-year old girl called Laura, who was filmed in hospital for 8 days. She was frequently distressed and begs to go home.
Bowlby’s work led to a major social change in the way that children were cared for in hospital.
An abundance of supporting evidence- There is a wide range of studies demonstrating the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on development.
For example:
- Goldfarb= effects on IQ
- Bowlby’s 44 thieves= effects on emotional development.
- Animal studies= Harlow’s monkeys
Counter- Hilda Lewis replicated the 44 Thieves study on 500 young. She found early prolonged separation did not predict criminality or difficulty forming close relationships. This suggests that there may have been other factors which caused the problems instead.
What are the limitations of bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
Deprivation vs. privation- Michael Rutter (1981) criticised Bowlby’s view of deprivation, and claimed he was muddling two concepts together drew a distinction between deprivation and privation:
Deprivation= loss of primary attachment figure after the attachment has developed. Privation= failure to form any attachment in the first place
Rutter believed that the severe long-term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation is actually more likely to be the result of privation. This lack of clarity in Bowlby’s definition of deprivation may negatively affect the validity of research findings.
Physical and emotional separation- Focus on the impact of physical separation on development, but emotional separation may also have an effect.
E.g. a mother who is depressed may be physically present, yet unable to provide suitable emotional care, thus depriving her children of that care.
Radke-Yarow et al. (1985)= studied mothers who were severely depressed. Findings= 55% of their children were insecurely attached compared to only 29% in the non-depressed group.
