Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Theory

• Bowlby was influenced by Freud‘s ideas. He argues that there is a link between maternal deprivation and deviant behaviour. A child needs a close continuous relationship with its primary caregiver from birth to the age of five in order to develop normally.
• If the mother child attachment is broken through separation, even for a short period, it can leave the child unable to form meaningful emotional relationships with others. Bowlby describes this as affection psychopathy and in some cases, it can lead to criminal behaviour.
• 44 thieves aged 5 - 17 were seen by psychologist and given an IQ test. The psychologist made notes on the child’s behaviour and emotional state. A social worker interviewed the mother and recorded preliminary details of the child’s early psychiatric history. 50% had an IQ between 85 - 114, 15 had a higher IQ and two had a below average IQ. This study also had a control group of 44 children of the similar age, sex and IQ. They were also emotionally disturbed, but didn’t steal.
• The children were sorted into five categories

  • normal : children whose characters appear fairly normal and stable
  • depressed : those unstable or in a depressed state of mind
  • circular : unstable children who alternate between depression and overactivity
  • hyperthymic : children who tend to constant overactivity
  • affection-less : characterised as lacking normal affection, shame or sense of responsibility
• Bowlby found they wouldn’t have become offenders if they hadn’t had experiences which were harmful to their development.