Maternal Deprivation

• Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis suggests that continual disruption of the attachment between the infant and primary caregiver could result in long-term cognitive, social, and emotional difficulties for that infant
• The critical period for maternal deprivation is the first 2.5 years of life
• Effects of maternal deprivation: Aggression, Delinquency, Dwarfism, Intellectual retardation, Depression, Dependency, Affectionless Psychopathy, and Social maladjustment
• Bowlby’s study with the 44 Juvenile Thieves found that children who experienced prolonged separation from their mothers in the first 2.5 years of life were more likely to be identified as affectionless psychopaths
• Harlow’s research with monkeys supported Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis, showing that monkeys reared in isolation from their mother suffered emotional and social problems in older age
• Real-life applications of Bowlby’s theory include changes in orphanages, foster care, and maternity units to address emotional needs and stable attachments
• Critics like Rutter have accused Bowlby of not distinguishing between deprivation and privation, emphasizing the quality of the attachment bond as crucial
• Maternal deprivation hypothesis by Bowlby states that continual disruption of the attachment between infant and primary caregiver could lead to long-term cognitive, social, and emotional difficulties
• Maternal deprivation refers to separation or loss of the mother, impacting cognitive, social, and emotional development
• Affectionless psychopathy may result from maternal deprivation, characterized by a lack of concern for others and inability to form meaningful relationships
• Bowlby's 44 Thieves study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal deprivation on intellectual, social, and emotional development
• Findings from the 44 Thieves study supported the maternal deprivation hypothesis, showing prolonged separations linked to affectionless psychopathy
• Maternal deprivation in early life can cause permanent emotional damage, leading to conditions like affectionless psychopathy
• Other factors like the reason for separation, the role of the father, and the child's temperament could also influence the development of affectionless psychopathy
• Harlow's research with monkeys supports Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis, demonstrating emotional and social problems in monkeys reared in isolation from their mother
• Konrad Lorenz's work on imprinting supports Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis, showing that attachment is an innate process
• Rutter (1972) points out that indicators of attachment, like protest or distress when an attached person leaves, can be shown for various attachment figures, not just the mother
• Rutter distinguishes between deprivation and privation, where deprivation refers to the loss of or damage to an attachment, while privation is the failure to develop an emotional bond
• Privation can lead to:

  • clinging, dependent, attention-seeking behavior
  • indiscriminate friendliness
  • inability to keep rules/form lasting relationships/feel guilt
  • anti-social behavior/affectionless psychopathy
  • disorders of language, intellectual development and physical growth
• Rutter argues that problems from privation are not solely due to the lack of attachment to a mother figure, but also to factors like lack of intellectual stimulation and social experiences
• Deprivation can be avoided with good emotional care after separation
• Define maternal deprivation.

  Describes the emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother.
• Give a limitation of Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation.

  Bowlby failed to properly distinguish between deprivation and privation. Rutter attempts to amend this by referring to deprivation as the loss of an attachment after it is formed and privation as the failure to form an attachment in the first place.

  Rutter argues that privation is more likely to lead to long-term damage than deprivation, as Bowlby's theory states.