Bowlby’s theory of Maternal deprivation

• What does the theory focus on?

  • Focuses on the effects of early experiences and how they could interfere with the usual process of attachment formation.
  • Being separated from a mother in early childhood has serious consequences for emotional and intellectual development.
• Difference between separation and deprivation

  • Separation is when the child is not in the presence of a primary caregiver.
  • Deprivation refers to the loss of emotional care that is normally provided by a primary caregiver.
  • Brief separations does not significantly harm a child’s development however extended separations can lead to deprivation.
• Privation


  Refers to an attachment not forming at all
• What is the critical period and what must a child receive from the caregiver during the critical period?

  • Bowlby considered that there was a critical period for psychological development- first 30 months
  • Infants should have a continuous, unbroken relationships.
• What happens if a child does not form an attachment during the critical period?

  • If an infant does not receive a continuous, unbroken relationship from caregiver in the critical period, and they was separated from their mother
  • Bowlby believed they would suffer psychological damage.
• Intellectual effects of maternal deprivation

  • Delayed intellect
  • Abnormally low IQ
  • Goldfarb, demonstrated that children who remained in institution had a lower IQ as they received low standards of emotional care.
• Emotional effects of maternal deprivation

  • Children that go through maternal deprivation in their later critical period are less likely to feel guilt for their actions or have a sense of shame as a result of their wrongdoings.
  • Affectionless psychopathy, (the inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others). This prevents the person developing normal relationships and is associated with criminality. They cannot appreciate the feelings of the victim and so lack remorse for their actions.
• APF of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study

  • Examined the link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
  • 44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing
  • Interviewed all thieves for signs of affectionless psychopathy
  • Their families were also interviewed in order to establish whether the thieves had prolonged early separations from mothers.
  • Compared to a control group of 44 non-criminals but emotional disturbed young people.
  • 14/44 affectionless psychopaths
  • 12 of these experienced maternal deprivation
  • 5/30 experienced separations
  • Control: 2/44 experienced long separations
• Conclusions made from Bowlby’s 44 thieves study

  • Study suggests that prolonged separation/deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy.
• Real world application

  • Prior to Bowlby’s research, children were separated from parents when they went to hospital, often for many days.
  • Bowlby’s research led to major social changes in the way children are cared for in hospitals. Parents are now encouraged to stay overnight with their child to ensure their child is not deprived of maternal love.
  • Bowlby’s research has made a valuable contribution on how to ensure we maximise effective childcare.
• Bowlby’s confusion between deprivation and privation

  • Rutter, drew an important distinction between 2 types of early negative experiences. Deprivation strictly refers to the loss of primary attachment figures after attachment has been development. Privation is the failure to form an attachment in the first place.
  • Ritter pointed out that severe long-term damage Bowlby assoicated with deprivation is actually more likely to be the result of privation.
  • This shows that Bowlby may have overestimated the seriousness of the effects of deprivation in child’s development.
• Animal study support

  • Harlow investigated the effects of maternal deprivation in adulthood. He found severe consequences e.g monkeys were dysfunctional, did not develop normal social behaviour, more aggressive, bred less.
  • Maternal deprivation theory suggests the loss of emotional care from their primary caregiver can have a significant effect of development. This helps reinforce the value of maternal care, as it suggests children also need a warm, continuous, emotional relationship.
  • Shows maternal deprivation can lead to abnormal long-term consequences.
• Based of flawed evidence

  • Bowlby carried out the assessment for affectionless psychopathy and family interviews himself. His theory also referred to studies conducted on children orphaned from WW2 and require participants to recall previous life events.
  • Bowlby conducting the assessments and interviews himself raises concern of interviewer bias. He was aware of the aims and hypotheses of his research and could have unconsciously impacted the results. Relying on studies on war-orphans is problematic, because they have been traumatised and experienced poor aftercare.
  • Lacks internal validity
• Critical period may be the sensitive period

  • Koluchova, reported the case of twin boys from Czechslovakia, who were isolated at 18 months until they were 7 (locked up in a cupboard). After being cared for by 2 loving adults they appeared to have recovered normally.
  • Suggests the damage is reversible, if good quality aftercare is provided. The period which has been identified by Bowlby may not be critical but in fact sensitive. If it was the critical period the twin boys would not have recovered.
  • Suggests the critical period is in fact the sensitive period.