Bowlbys Theory of Maternal Deprivation

3 Basic beliefs of the Maternal Deprivation theory

1. The continual presence of care from a mother is essential for normal psychological development emotionally and intellectually

2. Mother-love in infancy is as important for mental health as vitamins and proteins are for physical health

3. Being separated from a mother in early childhood has serious consequences (Maternal Deprivation)

What does Bowlbys MD Theory explain

What else does it suggest

What is the Critical Period

What can happen during this period

What happens when attachment with Primary Attachment Figure is broken

Suggests Disruption of the attachment bond, even short term, result in serious and permanent damage to a child's emotional, social and intellectual development

Most at 2.5 years with risk continuing until 5

If a child is separated from Primary attachment figure and deprived of emotional care for extended duration, Bowlby believed Psychological damage was inevitable

What is Maternal Deprivation

What is Separation

When does it lead to developmental problems

The separation between a Primary attachment figure and a child

Physical separation from Primary Attachment Figure

Extended separation from Primary Attachment can lead to Deprivation of emotional care if there is no substitute caregiver providing this

This Deprivation leads to developmental problems

What are the Effects of Maternal Deprivation

When does Separation from Primary Attachment Figure not lead to the effects of Maternal Deprivation

Extended separations can lead to deprivation, causing emotional and intellectual harm

Occurs because the child becomes deprived of emotional care

According to Bowlby If there is a Substitute Caregiver during the separation offering emotional care

What are the main effects of Maternal Deprivation

Research supporting these effects

1. Intellectual development

- Goldfarb (1974) - Found abnormally low IQ in children raised in institutions

2. Emotional development

3. Developing Affectionless Psychopathy

How does Maternal Deprivation affect Intellectual development

What research proves this

What emotional condition does it lead to

What is Affectionless Psychopathy

Abnormally low IQ

Goldfarb (1974)

Found abnormally low IQ in children raised in Institutions

Affectionless psychopathy

Inability to show guilt or strong emotion for others

What is Affectionless Psychopathy

Having the Inability to show guilt or strong emotion for others

When is the critical period of psychological development

What did Bowlby believe can happen in this period

When does risk this continue

2.5 Years

Prolonged or Frequent separation during this period without a Substitute Caregiver makes psychological damage inevitable

Risk of psychological development continues until age 5

Bowlbys 44 thieves study (1944)

What did he find

What did he conclude

- Studied 44 children accused of stealing

- Interviewed them for sign of Affectionless Psychopathy

- Interviewed families to look for prolonged early separations

- Had a control of 44 children from Child Guidance Clinic who were NOT accused of stealing

Found 14 of 44 to be affectionless psychopaths

12 of these had experienced prolonged periods separation before age 2.5 years

Only 2 of 44 children in control group had experienced prolonged separations

Concluded that prolonged separations is linked to Affectionless Psychopathy

Determinist strength of Bowlbys theory - Real world usefulness

- Environmentally Determinist - blames developmental problems with emotions and IQ on separation experiences.

- Useful as it gives us something we can change

- Led to social change in hospital care

- eg Before his research children had limited contact with

parents and kids were left alone for prolonged periods

- His research led to parent visits being made longer and more frequent

- Increases real world usefulness

External validity research criticism

- Research involves children experiencing temporary separations due to illness or family issues

- These bring confounding variables such as stress or illness

- Means it is difficult to isolate MD as the sole cause of later emotional or behavioural issues

- Issues may be due to these confounding variables (stress, instability), rather than absence of primary attachment figure

- Therefore reduces External validity as may not accurately apply to all cases of separation, especially when the cause and context of the separation varies significantly

Criticism of 44 Thieves study

- Evidence may not be Objective

- Carried out interviews with families himself

- Left him open to bias as he may have been expecting certain children to show signs of psychopathy

- This bias makes his research unethical

- Means his findings are not based on objective evidence

- Reduces Internal Validity as findings may have been distorted by Investigator Effects

- Also Reduces Reliability as an exact replication of his study cannot be made as it may be seen as unethical today

Study Contradicting Bowlbys study evaluation point

Rutter (1981)

- Suggested Bowlby confused Deprivation with Privation

- Deprivation is the loss of attachment with primary attachment figure, Privation is the failure to form attachment in the first place

- Privation is likely to occur in children brought up in institutions

- Rutter pointed out that the Long term effects of Deprivation are more likely to be a result of Privation