Disruption of Attachment

• What does Bowlby believe prolonged emotional deprivation leads to?

  Long-term consequences in emotional development
• What type of relationship did Bowlby believe infants needed with their mother?

  A warm, intimate, and continuous relationship
• What is the critical period according to Bowlby?

  Before the age of 2 years
• What happens if a child is denied maternal care during the critical period?

  They may experience psychological damage
• What are some long-term consequences of maternal deprivation?

  Emotional maladjustment and intellectual underdevelopment
• What is affectionless psychopathy?

  A condition resulting from emotional deprivation
• What was the procedure used in Bowlby's study?

  Interviews to study 88 children
• How many of the children in Bowlby's study were caught stealing?

  44 children
• What percentage of thieves diagnosed as affectionless psychopaths experienced early separation?

  86%
• What percentage of the remaining thieves without affectionless psychopathy had been maternally deprived?

  17%
• What percentage of the control group experienced separations?

  5%
• What conclusion did Bowlby draw from his study?

  Deprivation may have long-term harmful consequences
• There is research support for maternal deprivation. Explain

  • Maternal deprivation can have long term effect
  • Levy showed separating baby rats from their mothers for as little as a day had permanent effect on their social development
  • Bowlby's theory is valid somewhat
• A limitation of the maternal deprivation is the failure to distinguish between deprivation and privation. Explain

  • Rutter believed Bowlby's talking of 'deprivation' was muddled with 2 concepts
  • Deprivation - loss of primary attachment figure
  • Privation - no attachment formed in the first place
  • The long-term damage Bowlby was referring to was the result of privation
• What is a common physical characteristic of children in institutions?

  They are usually physically small
• What is suggested to be the cause of 'deprivation dwarfism'?

  Lack of emotional care
• How does emotional deprivation affect cognitive development?

  It negatively impacts cognitive development
• What attachment behavior is commonly seen in children from institutions?

  Disinhibited attachment
• What did Rutter's study find about children adopted before 6 months?

  They showed better intellectual development
• What is the significance of the age of 6 months in Rutter's study?

  Adoption before 6 months aids recovery
• What unusual behavior do children in institutions often display?

  Being friendly to strangers
• What is a common behavior in children during their second year?

  Most show stranger anxiety
• What difficulties did ex-institutional women face as parents?

  Extreme difficulties acting as parents
• What was the context of Rutter's ERA study?

  Effects of institutionalisation in Romania
• What was the aim of Rutter's study?

  To test the maternal deprivation hypothesis
• How many British adopted children were assessed in Rutter's study?

  53 British adopted children
• What was a key finding regarding children adopted after 6 months?

  They had lower IQ at 11
• What attachment issues did children adopted after 6 months show?

  Less attachment and emotional problems
• What can overcome the negative effects of institutionalisation?

  Nurturing alternative care
• What does Rutter's study suggest about the timing of adoption?

  The earlier the adoption, the lesser the effects
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Rutter's study?

  Strengths:

  • Qualitative data provides depth
  • Real-life situation enhances validity

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Poor conditions in Romanian institutions
  • Confounding variables may affect results
• What historical context led to the institutionalisation of children in Romania?

  • Nicolae Ceaușescu's policy for women to have five children
  • Many parents unable to afford to keep children
  • Resulted in large orphanages with poor conditions
• What was the impact of the 1989 revolution on Romanian children?

  • Many children were adopted to other countries
  • Included adoptions to the UK
  • Raised questions about effects of institutionalisation
• A strength of the effects of institutionalisation is that there are real life applications. Explain

  • Orphanages and children's homes now avoid having large numbers of caregivers for each child but a keyworker.
  • Keyworker - children can form normal attachments and helps avoid disinhibited attachment
• A limitation of the effects of institutionalisation is that there are cofounding variables. Explain

  • The conditions are so bad that the results cannot be applied to understanding the better-quality institutional care
  • E.g. Romanian Orphanages had poor standards of care, even with formation of any relationships with children and those with low levels of intellectual stimulation
  • Lacks generalisablity
• What does the internal working model (IWM) represent?

  A child's mental representation of their first relationship
• How does the internal working model influence future relationships?

  It acts as a template for all future relationships
• What study is associated with the concept of the internal working model?

  Hazan and Shaver (1987) - "The love quiz"
• What expectations do securely attached individuals have in relationships?

  They expect others to be friendly and trusting
• How does the internal working model affect childhood friendships?

  Secure attachments lead to easier relationships