Maternal Deprivation

• Value of Maternal Care

  • Bowlby believed children needed a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with the mother/ mother figure to ensure continuing normal mental health
  • Incldues emotional and intellectual
• What is separation?

  Child not being in the presence of the primary attachment figure
• What are the effects of separation?

  • Brief separations are not significant for development, especially if left with a substitute
  • Extended separations can lead to deprivation
• What is the critical period?

  • Children denied of care become emotional disturbed.
  • Separation will only have this effect if it happens before the age of 2 ½
  • and without substitute care- risk up to 5
  • Potential damage avoided by substitute emotional care being provided
  • Deprivation causes long term psychological harm – this can be avoided
• How does this build on Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

  • He stated the consequences cannot be reversed
  • The internal working model is a template for later relationships
• Consequences of maternal deprivation:

  • Intellectual deprivation = low IQ.
  • Emotional deprivation= delinquency + affection-less psychopathy
  • Affection-less psychopathy = the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others -> they become criminal and cannot understand the feelings of their victims, so lack remorse
• What was the aim of the 44 thieves study?

  To investigate the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on people in order to see whether delinquents have suffered deprivation.
• Procedure of the 44 thieves study?

  • Bowlby interviewed 44 adolescents who were referred to a child protection program because of stealing
  • Selected another group of 44 children to act as ‘controls’
  • Referred to clinic because of emotional problems, but not yet committed any crimes.
• Findings of the 44 thieves study

  • He said some of the thieves were affection-less psychopaths – lacked normal signs of affection, shame or responsibility which enables them to steal.
  • 86% (12) affection-less psychopaths experienced frequent separations before 2 years
  • Only 5% of other thieves experienced frequent separations
  • 4% of controls
• Evidence is flawed - weakness

  • Study was open to bias
  • Bowlby assessed both deprivation and psychopathy himself, knowing what he hoped to find = Researcher Bias
  • Goldfarb’s (1943) study of wartime orphans is flawed - he used traumatised participants who lacked good aftercare =confounding variables
  • Bowlby originally had no solid evidence on which to base his theory of maternal deprivation
• Flawed evidence - counterpoint (strength)

  • Research with rats shows short separations can harm social development (Levy et al. 2003).
  • There is now some evidence for the theory of maternal deprivation
• Deprivation vs. Privation (weakness)

  • confusion
  • Michael Rutter (1972) - suggested that Bowlby may have got confused
  • Rutter distinguished between privation and deprivation
  • Privation = the failure to form any attachment in the first place.
  • Deprivation = the loss of the primary attachment figure after attachment has developed
• Strength - Real World Application

  • impact on post war hospital visits
  • Robertson (1952) - filmed a 2 year old, Laura, during an 8 day period in hospital
  • Seen to be frequently distressed and begs to go home.
  • This work along with Bowlby led to change in the way children are treated in hospital.
• Weakness - Critical period

  • Critical period is more of a sensitive period
  • Koluchova (1976) - Czech Twins
  • fully recovered after being looked after from age 7 by two loving adults.
  • Aged 2 - boys locked in cellar +abused for 6 years (physical and linguistic problems)
  • Aged 7 - adopted into a loving family.
  • Aged 14 - normal behaviour.
  • Aged 20 - emotionally and socially stable with above average intelligence.