Maternal Deprivation - Bowlby

• Maternal Deprivation 


  The emotional and intellectual consequences of seperation between a child and their mother/caregiver
• Deprivation 


  To lose something - the loss of an emotional care normally provided by a primary caregiver
• Privation 


  No attachments formed
• Skodak and Skeels (1949)


  Found that those children who were institutionalised scored poorly on intelligence tests - improved after emotional care
• Spitz and Wolf (1946)


  Observed that when 100 children were put into care in an institution, they became depressed within a few months
• Aim of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study 


  Find out if prolonged emotional deprivation would have long term consequences on emotional support
• Procedure of 44 thieves 


  Analysed case studies of his child patients

  Judged to be emotionally maladjusted

  studied 88 children, 44 caught stealing

  they lacked emotional responses - normal signs of affection, shame, or responsibility

  They stole as it didn't matter to them
• Affectionless Psychopaths 


  The thieves lacked basic emotional responses
• Findings of 44 thieves 


  The affectionless thieves had experienced frequent seperation from their mothers

  86% (12/14) of thieves experienced frequent seperation, compared to 17% (5/30) of other thieves

  Almost none of the control group experienced frequent seperation, 39% of thieves had
• The Value of Maternal Care


  Bowlby was the first to recognise the deep impact of emotional care and the need for: ‘Warm intimate and continuous relationship with a mother to ensure continuing normal health’
• Critical Period


  Bowlby stated that this will only occur if an infant experiences this before they are 2.5 and if there is no alternative caregiver available - continued risk up to 5
• Long term consequences

  Emotional maladjustment

  Mental health problems - depression
• Strength - Physical or Psychological seperation (Radke-Yarrowet et al 1985)


  Studied depressed mothers and found that 55% of their children were insecurely attached, compared to 29% of non-depressed group.

  Therefore, psychological seperation can lead to Deprivation
• Strength - Long term effects 


  Early deprivation seems to increase likelihood of experiencing long term mental health issues

  Bifulco et al (1992) - studied women who had been seperated from their mother for over a year, finding that 25% of them later experienced depression or anxiety
• Strength - real world application

  44 thieves study created major transformations in the childcare world:

  • Children can see their caregivers in hospital
  • Assigning caregivers to children in school
  • More paternity leave and funding (480 days in Sweden)
• Weakness - Investigator effects


  Bowlby designed and conducted the self reports himself so prescence and interpretation might influence outcome of research

  Affectionless Psychopathy diagnosis may have been distorted by researcher confirmation bias