9. bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

what is maternal deprivation

the emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother or mother substitute

what did bowlby propose about maternal deprivation

proposed that

• continuous care from a mother is essential for normal psychological development

• prolonged separation causes serious damage to emotional and intellectual development

separation vs deprivation

separation - not being in the presence of the primary attachment figure. brief separations are not a concern, and separation is not an issue unless the child is deprived

deprivation - a child loses an element of care from their primary attachment figure. extended separations lead to deprivation that can cause harm

bowlby’s critical period

• the first 2.5 years is a critical period for psychological development

• he believed if a child is separated from their mother in the absence of suitable care for an extended duration during this period psychological damage is inevitable

• believed there was a continuing risk up to the age of 5 years

effects of maternal deprivation

1. intellectual development

2. emotional development

intellectual development

• bowlby believed if children were deprived of maternal care for too long during the critical period, they would experience delays in intellectual development

• characterised by abnormally low IQ

• demonstrated in adoption studies - goldfarb found lower IQ in children who had remained in instituions as opposed to those who were fostered and thus had a higher standard of emotional care

emotional development

• bowlby identified affectionless psychopathy as the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion towards others

• this prevents a person developing normal relationships and is associated with criminality - affectionless psychopaths cannot appreciate the feelings of victims so lack remorse for their actions

bowlby’s procedure (1944)

• consisted of 44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing

• all were interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy - characterised as a lack of affection, guilt and empathy

• families were also interviewed to establish whether any particiants had prolonged separations from their mother

• compared sample to a control group of 44 non criminal but emotionally disturbed young people

findings

• 14 of 44 thieves were described as affectionless psychopaths - 12 of which experienced prolonged separation from their mothers within the critical period

• only 5 of the remaining 30 thieves had experienced separations

conclusions

prolonged early separation/deprivation causes affectionless psychopathy

evaluation

1. research support (& x2 counterpoints)

2. critical vs sensitive periods

research support

• there is research that provides modest support for the idea that maternal deprivation can have long term effects

• levy et al showed that separating baby rats from their mother for as little as a day had a permanent effect on their social development

• means there are sources for his ideas

1st counterpoint - animal study

• animal study

• lacks generalisability - different biology to humans

2nd counterpoint - conflicting evidence

• research findings on maternal deprivation and later outcomes are inconsistent

• eg lewis 1954 looked at 500 young people and found no association between early separation and later psychopathy (criminality or relationship difficulties)

• contradictory findings suggest maternal deprivation alone may not be a sufficient explanation for later issues, raising doubts about using it as a sole explanation for abnormal development

critical vs sensitive periods

• maternal deprivation effects may not be as irreversible as bowlby claimed

• koluchova 1976 studied czech twins who suffered severe physical and emotional abuse from the age of 18 months until they were 7, but later recovered with good care

• suggests the effects of early deprivation can sometimes be reversed, making the ‘critical period’ ore of a ‘sensitive period’ challenging bowlbys view that maternal deprivation inevitably leads to severe psychological damage