bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation

• What does separation mean?

  The child not being with the primary attachment figure
• When does separation become a problem?

  If the child is deprived of emotional care (which can happen even if a mother is present and, say, depressed)
• When are separations not problematic?

  Brief separations, particularly where the child is with a substitute caregiver who can provide emotional care, are not significant for development
• Extended separations can lead to what?

  Deprivation, which causes harm
• What did Bowlby suggest the critical period was for development?

  2.5 years
• When does deprivation lead to consequences, according to Bowlby?

  If a child is separated from their mother in the absence of suitable substitute care and deprived of emotional care for an extended duration during this critical period then psychological damage is inevitable
• What are the two effects of maternal deprivation?

  Intellectual and emotional effects
• What are the intellectual effects of maternal deprivation?

  Mental retardation, characterized by abnormally low IQ
• How have the intellectual effects of maternal deprivation been demonstrated?

  In studies of adoption
• Who studied the intellectual effects of maternal deprivation?

  Goldfarb (1947)
• What did Goldfarb (1947) find?

  Lower IQ in children who had remained in institutions as opposed to those who were fostered
• What are the emotional effects of maternal deprivation?

  Affectionless psychopathy
• What is affectionless psychopathy?

  The inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others
• What does affectionless psychopathy prevent and is associated with?


  The person developing normal relationships and is associated with criminality
• Why does affectionless psychopathy lead to criminality?

  Cannot appreciate the feelings of victims and so lack remorse for their actions
• What study examined the link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation?

  Bowlby's 44 Juvenile Thieves
• What was the sample of Bowlby's 44 Juvenile Thieves?


  44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing and a control group of non-criminal but emotionally disturbed young people
• What was the method of Bowlby's 44 Juvenile Thieves?

  Interviewed the teenagers and their families
• What do the findings show about maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy?

  14/44 thieves were afectionless psychopaths

  12/14 aps had experienced maternal deprivation

  Bowlby's findings suggest that early separations are linked to affectionless psychopathy
• How do Bowlby's findings suggest that early separations are linked to affectionless psychopathy?

  The rates of both early separation and affectionless psychopathy are higher in the thieves group than the control group.
• What is a real life application of Bowlby's research on maternal deprivation?

  Had a significant impact on best practice in institutions such as hospitals where infants are likely to experience prolonged separation from caregivers
• What was historically the case in hopsitals?

  Visiting children in hospitals was very restricted or not permitted at all
• What did the Robertson's (1952) observe?

  A two-year-old girl named Laura who was hospitalised for eight days. Laura struggled to cope with the emotional deprivation, demonstrating real distress
• Why have changes occurred in hospitals?

  Due to the new psychological insight into how best to provide quality substitute emotional care in the absence of parents to minimise negative consequences for the child
• What methodological issues does Bowlby's 44 juvenile thieves study have?

  Bowlby himself carried out the investigation, it was a quasi experiment, potential for social desirability bias
• Why is a problem that Bowlby himself carried out the investigation?

  Developmental psychologists have suggested that Bowlby may have interpreted the findings in a bias way in order to generate support for his theory.
• How is Bowlby's 44 juvenile thieves study being a quasi-experiment problematic?


  Bowlby didn't manipulate with the way each child was raised and merely recorded their subsequent behaviour.
• How is there potential for social desirability bias in Bowlby's 44 juvenile thieves study?

  Bowlby interviewed the family of the criminal teenagers to establish what, if any, maternal deprivation they experienced
• Who conducted evidence to contradict Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis claims?

  Lewis (1944)
• What did Lewis (1944) do?

  Replicated the juvenile thieves study with a larger sample
• What did Lewis (1944) find?

  Did not find that early deprivation, caused by prolonged separation form the primary caregiver, predicted a greater likelihood of criminal behaviour in the youths