bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation

• what does separation mean- bowlby

  child not physically in the presence of primary attachment figures
• what does deprivation mean- bowlby

  losing emotional care as a result of separation

  - can be avoided if other emotional care is there, so separation may not always cause deprivation
• What was the focus of Bowlby's 44 Thieves study in 1944?

  Maternal separation and affection-less psychopathy
• How many delinquent teens were involved in Bowlby's study?

  44 delinquent teens
• What method was used to gather data from the families in the study?

  Families were interviewed
• What was assessed in the 'thieves' during the interviews?

  Signs of affection-less psychopathy
• How many of the 44 thieves were described as affection-less psychopaths?

  14 out of 44 thieves
• What percentage of the thieves experienced prolonged separation from their mothers in the first 2 years?

  27.3% (12 out of 44)
• How many of the remaining 30 thieves experienced separations?

  5 of the remaining 30 thieves
• What conclusion did Bowlby draw from his findings regarding early separation?

  Prolonged early separation causes affection-less psychopathy
• What are the strengths of Bowlby's 44 Thieves study?

  • Involvement of 44 delinquent teens
  • Interviews established prolonged separations
  • Animal studies support maternal deprivation
• What are the limitations of Bowlby's 44 Thieves study?

  • Flawed sources of maternal deprivation
  • Potential bias in Bowlby's findings
  • Counter-evidence suggests other influencing factors
  • Lack of distinction between deprivation and privation
• Continued emotional care from mother is essential for intellectual development

  According to the theory of maternal deprivation, continued emotional care from the mother is essential for a child's intellectual development.
• Separation from mother may lead to maternal deprivation


  The theory states that separation from the mother may lead to maternal deprivation, which can have negative consequences for the child's development.
• Separation is different from deprivation


  The theory distinguishes between separation and deprivation, with separation referring to the physical absence of the mother, and deprivation referring to the lack of emotional care and attachment.
• Critical period for 30 months, if separated from mother during this period then psychological harm is inevitable


  The theory suggests that there is a critical period of 30 months, during which if a child is separated from their mother, psychological harm is inevitable.
• Intellectual development: deprivation lowers IQ

  According to the theory, maternal deprivation can lower a child's intellectual development, resulting in a lower IQ.
• Emotional development: deprivation linked to affection-less psychopathy, inability to experience guilt/strong emotions for others preventing them from building normal relationships

  The theory suggests that maternal deprivation can also negatively impact a child's emotional development, leading to affection-less psychopathy and an inability to experience strong emotions for others, which can prevent them from building normal relationships.
• Strengths: animal studies have demonstrated maternal deprivation

  One of the strengths of the theory of maternal deprivation is that animal studies have demonstrated the negative effects of maternal separation and deprivation on the development of the offspring.
• Limitations: sources of maternal deprivation are flawed, Bowlby knew what he wanted to find so it may be biased


  One of the limitations of the theory is that the sources of maternal deprivation used by Bowlby may have been flawed, and Bowlby may have been biased in his findings, as he knew what he wanted to find.
• Limitations: counter-evidence doesn't support Bowlby's findings, suggests that other factors may affect the outcome of early maternal separation

  Another limitation of the theory is that counter-evidence does not support Bowlby's findings, and suggests that other factors may affect the outcome of early maternal separation, rather than just maternal deprivation.
• Limitations: Bowlby didn't distinguish between deprivation and privation


  A further limitation of the theory is that Bowlby did not clearly distinguish between deprivation (lack of emotional care) and privation (lack of physical care), which may have led to some confusion in his findings.