Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation

• What does Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation explain?

  Consequences of broken attachment with mother
• What is monotropy in Bowlby's theory?

  The need for one main attachment
• What does separation refer to in Bowlby's theory?


  Temporary absence from primary caregiver
• How is deprivation defined in Bowlby's theory?

  Loss of emotional care from caregiver
• What does privation mean in the context of attachment?

  Failure to form an attachment initially
• What are the consequences of maternal deprivation?

  Serious psychological and relationship issues
• What effect does maternal deprivation have on intellectual development?

  It leads to abnormally low IQ
• What is affectionless psychopathy?

  Inability to feel guilt or empathy
• How is affectionless psychopathy associated with criminality?

  It is linked to criminal behavior patterns
• What was the aim of Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study?

  To link maternal deprivation and psychopathy
• How many teenage delinquents were involved in Bowlby’s study?

  44 teenage delinquents
• What method was used to assess affectionless psychopathy in the study?

  Interviews with participants and families
• How many thieves were identified as affectionless psychopaths?

  14 thieves
• What percentage of affectionless psychopaths experienced prolonged separation?

  12 out of 14 had prolonged separation
• How many in the non-criminal group experienced prolonged separation?

  Only 2 in the non-criminal group
• What was the outcome for the control group in Bowlby’s study?

  No control group members were psychopaths
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Bowlby's evidence for maternal deprivation?

  Strengths:

  • Some support from new research
  • Levy et al. showed long-term effects in rats

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Bowlby’s bias in assessments
  • Influenced by flawed studies like Goldfarb’s
• What distinction did Rutter make regarding deprivation and privation?

  Deprivation is loss after attachment forms
• What did Rutter suggest about the effects of deprivation?

  Long-term damage is likely from privation
• What is the critical period in Bowlby's theory?

  First 2 1/2 years of life for attachment
• What did Koluchova's study reveal about recovery from severe privation?

  Recovery is possible with excellent care
• How does the concept of sensitive periods differ from critical periods?

  Sensitive periods allow for recovery, unlike critical
• What is a strength for Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation?

  Alternative Source of Evidence

  • A new line of research has provided some support for the idea that maternal deprivation can have long term effects
  • Levy et al (2003) showed that separating baby rats from their mothers for as little as a day had a permanent effect on their social development, though not other aspects of their development
  • This means that although Bowlby relied on flawed evidence to support the theory of maternal deprivation, there are other sources of evidence for his ideas
• What is a limitation for Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation?

  Flawed Evidence

  • Bowlby carried out both the interviews and the assessments for affectionless psychopathy, which means that he knew which teenagers he expected to show signs of psychopathy, and so he was prone to be biased
  • Bowlby was also influenced by Goldfarb’s (1943) research on the development of deprived children in wartime orphanages, despite this study having confounding variables
  • This means that Bowlby’s original sources of evidence for maternal deprivation had flaws and should not have been taken as evidence
• What is a limitation for Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation?

  Deprivation and Privation

  • Rutter (1981) drew a distinction between 2 types of early negative experience: deprivation strictly refers to the loss of the primary attachment figure after attachment has developed, while privation is the failure to form any attachment to begin with
  • Rutter pointed out that the long term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation is actually more likely to be a result of privation
  • This means that Bowlby may have overestimated the seriousness of the effects of deprivation in children’s development
• What is a limitation for Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation?

  Critical vs Sensitive Periods

  • Damage was inevitable if a child has not formed an attachment in the first 2.5 years of life, hence this is a critical period
  • However, Koluchova (1976) reported Czech twins who had experienced physical and emotional abuse from until 7 years old, and although they were severely damaged, they received excellent care and had recovered fully by their teens
  • This means that lasting harm is not inevitable even in cases of severe privation and the sensitive period is better seen than a critical period