Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Maternal deprivation

The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother or mother-substitute. Continuous care from the mother is essential for healthy psychological development. Prolonged separation from this adult causes serious damage to emotional and intellectual development

Bowlby maternal deprivation

Focused on the idea that continual presence from a mother or mother substitute is essential for healthy psychological development of babies and toddlers, both emotionally and intellectually. He believed that being separated from the mother in early childhood has serious consequences

Difference between separation and deprivation

Separation is a child not having a primary attachment figure present. Extended separations can lead to deprivation which causes harm.

Deprivation is the loss of emotional care normally provided by a primary caregiver.

Bowlby critical period

Saw the first 2 ½ years of life as a critical period for psychological development. If a child is separated from their mother or mother-substitute and therefore deprived of her emotional care for an extended duration during this critical period then psychological damage was inevitable and a continuing risk up to age 5

Intellectual development

Bowlby believed that if children were deprived of maternal care for too long during the critical period they would experience delayed intellectual development, characterised by very low IQ.

Goldfarb 1943 found lower IQ in children who had stayed in institutions as opposed to those who were fostered. This had a higher standard of emotional care

Emotional development

MD also can affect children’s emotional development. Bowlby identified AP as the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion towards others, a lack of empathy for any person they have harmed. This prevents a person developing fulfilling relationships and associated with criminality.

If an AP harms someone else, they don’t understand the other person‘s feelings and so lack remorse.

Bowlby’s research

Examined link between AP and MD

44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing. All thieves were interviewed for signs of AP. Families also interviewed to see if they had suffered early separations from their mothers. Sample compared to 44 non-criminals but emotionally disturbed young people (control group).

14/44 thieves were described as a affectionless psychopaths.

12/14 had experienced prolonged MD in the first two years of their lives.

5/30 thieves had experienced separations.

2 in control group had suffered MD.

Bowlby concluded that prolonged MD caused AP

W Flawed evidence

Bowlby interviewed the children, decided the diagnosis of AP.

He also selected the sample for the study

Makes research invalid and his theory questionable

W Lewis

Looked at 500 young people rather than 44 in Bowlby’s study.

Found no link between MD and AP

S Čater and Majdič

W Čater and Majdič

Reviewed research on primates and rodents. Both deprived of maternal care

Found that short periods of deprivation affects the developing brain.

Animal research so hard to generalise

W Koluchová

Reported case of Czech Twins

Both had severe physical and emotional abuse 18m - 7y

Adopted by a family and had great care, recovered fully

Suggests that lasting harm is not inevitable