Maternal deprevation

• John Bowlby - Maternal deprivation theory (1953)


  There is emotional and intellectual consequences of the separation of mother and child, prolonged separation causes damage
• Deprivation is not separation


  Separation is not being in the presence of primary caregiver

  Deprivation can still be in the presence but has lost emotional care
• Deprivation during critical period

  • Maternal deprivation especially harmful in critical period (first 2 years of life)
  • However can be risk up to the age of 5
• Effects on development


  Intellectual development - Goldfarb (1947) showed lower IQ children remained in institutions and adopted children had a higher IQ

  Emotional development - Can cause affection less psychopathy which can prevent normal relationships and is associated with criminality
• Bowlbys reaserch - 44 theives study


  Procedure

  1. 44 criminally accused teenagers for stealing were interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy
  2. The families were interviewed to asses whether they experienced maternal deprivation
  3. The sample was compared to a control group
• Bowlbys reaserch - 44 Theives study


  Findings

  • 14 of the 44 were described as affectionless psychopaths
  • 12 of those had experienced prolonged separation in the first 2 years of life
  • Only 5 of remaining theives had experienced separation
  • Only 2 in control group had experienced separation
• EVALUATION - Weakness - Floored study

  • Bowlby conducted study himself - Bias (knew what teenagers were likely to show signs)
  • Too influenced by Goldfarb (1943) - Problems of confounding variables as goldfarbs study children had trauma

  COUNTERPOINT

  New study shows maternal deprecation can have an effect by separating a rats from their mother for as little as a day has permanent effect on development
• EVALUATION - weakness - confusion between types of early experience


  Privation can occur in institutional care, this might be the cause of Bowblys findings, not maternal deprivation
• Privation

  The failure to form a bond in the first place
• EVALUATION - weakness - critical period


  Critical period isnt be all and end all for development - aftercare can improve

  Study on the case of the Czech twins:

  1. Experienced severe physical and emotional abuse from 18 months - 7 years
  2. Had emotional damage but with care recovered