Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation & Institutionalisation

Overview of Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation

• separation can lead to loss of emotional care

• long-term separation from the mother and disruption of the bond can lead to maternal deprivation

• physical care alone was not enough to ensure successful development

• only affected if separation is experienced during critical period (2.5 - risk continues up to 5 years)

• long term effects if experienced separation

• negative consequences were irreversible

• damage avoided if substitute emotional care

Long Term Effects of Maternal Deprivation

• intellectual development (low IQ)

• emotional development (criminal behaviour and affectionless psychopathy)

• future relationships suffer due to faulty IWM

• lack of opportunity to develop IWM

• due to disrupted attachment

What is Affectionless Psychopathy

• inability to experience guilt

• lack strong emotion for others

• lack normal signs of affection, shame or responsibility

• associated with later criminality

What is the Key Study

44 thieves study

Overview of the 44 Thieves Study

• study link between maternal deprivation and criminal behaviour

• 88 children in clinic

• 44 caught stealing 44 control

• children interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy

• families interviewed to establish prolonged early separation from mothers

Findings of the 44 Thieves Study

• 0/44 control were affectionless psychopaths

• 14/44 thieves were affectionless psychopaths

• 12/14 thieves experienced prolonged early separation from mothers

Conclusion of the 44 Thieves Study

• prolonged early separation can lead to maternal deprivation

• causes long term effects on emotional development

• including affectionless psychopathy

Real-World Application strength of Bowlby’s Theory

• led to changes in institutional care and hospital visiting policies

• high staff to child ration and key workers provide emotional care

• allow parental visits to be longer to avoid negative consequences of separation

• still in practice today

Self-Research Support strength of Bowlby’s Theory

• 14/44 thieves had affectionless psychopathy and 12/14 experienced early prolonged separation

• 0/44 control had affectionless psychopathy

• early deprivation leads to negative effects (maternal deprivation)

• BUT researcher bias by Bowlby is possible

Research Against criticism of Bowlby’s Theory

• Lewis 500 people did not find history of prolonged separation from mother predicted criminality or later relationships

• not support Bowlby as Lewis suggests prolonged separation doesn’t lead to later problems

• other factors influence extent (individual differences) maternal deprivation has negative consequences

• Barrett found securely children are more resistant to negative effects of maternal deprivation

Confusing Terms criticism of Bowlby’s Theory

• Rutter argue no distinction between deprivation and privation

• deprivation (loss of primary caregiver after care bond formed)

• privation (failure to form any attachment in first place)

• Bowlby over-estimated damage effect of deprivation by accidentally studying privation

What is Institutionalisation

long term effects of living in institutional care e.g. prison, hospitals, orphanages

Key Study for Institutionalisation

English and Romanian Adoptee study (ERA)

Overview of ERA

• longitudinal study

• naturally occurring independent variable (age of adoption)

• 165 Romanian orphans adopted by UK families

• entered orphanage between 1-2 weeks

• 1/3 adopted before 6 months old

• 1/3 adopted between 6 months and 2 years (critical period)

• 1/3 adopted between 2-4 years

• physical, cognitive and social development tested

• regular intervals (4, 6, 11, 15)

• compared with 52 British children adopted in UK before 6 months (control)

Findings of ERA

• at time of adoption = all groups lagged behind control group

• at time of adoption = weighed less and smaller

• at 11 Romanian children different rates of recovery

• before 6 months = 102 average IQ

• 6 months to 2 years = 86 average IQ

• 2 to 4 years = 77 average IQ

• after 6 months children showed signs of disinhibited attachment

• extremely rare in control and before 6 months groups

• 6 months normal development compared to control unlike after 6 months which had problems with peers

Characteristics of Disinhibited Attachment

• attention seeking

• clinginess

• indiscriminate behaviour towards adults

Effects of Institutionalisation

• low IQ

• psychical underdevelopment

• disinhibited attachment

• problems with emotional regulation (temper tantrums)

Real Life strength of ERA

• enhanced understanding of effects of institutions

• improvements in care e.g. large number of caregivers

• and key workers who play a central role for the child in developing normal attachments avoiding disinhibited attachment

• improved lives of children and potentially reduced negative effects of being in an orphanage

Long Term strength of ERA

• longitudinal studied at regular intervals over long period of time

• also went into adulthood to see long term effects

• at 22-25 similar pattern of continued emotional and intellectual difficulties in after 6 months groups

• 20% problem free but institutionalisation has strong lasting effect on emotional development

Not Typical criticism of ERA

• orphanages in ERA were not typical so cannot be generalised

• particular poor quality of care especially intellectual stimulation and physical care

• suffered food shortages

• negative effects result of poor levels of care and effects would be less extreme if better quality

Methodological Limitation criticism of ERA

• children not randomly allocated to conditions (no interference on age of adoption)

• other factors besides time spent in institution influencing

• e.g. sociable infants adopted quicker and therefore would assimilate better

• not sure late adoption groups long term effects were due to length of time in institution or not

• BUT BEIP did allocate some children to higher quality foster care and found similar results