Maternal Deprivation

• Separation means that the child is not in the presence of the primary attachment figure. Brief separations, particularly where the child is with a substitute caregiver don’t have a significant impact on development
• •Deprivation means that the child loses an element of the primary attachment figure’s emotional care. This then becomes an issue for development.
• The theory of maternal deprivation

  •This theory focuses on how the effects of early experiences may interfere with the usual processes of attachment formation.•Bowlby used the term maternal deprivation to refer to the long-term separation or loss of emotional care from the mother or mother-substitute.•If the attachment is broken or disrupted during the critical period (around 2 ½ years) the child will suffer irreversible long-term consequences of this maternal deprivation.  This risk continues until the age of five.
• The theory of maternal deprivation

  •Bowlby proposed that continuous care from a mother is essential for normal psychological development, and that prolonged separation from this adult causes serious damage to emotional and intellectual development.•