Maternal Deprivation Theory

• Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis suggests that continual disruption of the attachment between the infant and primary caregiver (i.e., mother) could result in long-term cognitive, social, and emotional difficulties for that infant. Bowlby originally believed the effects to be permanent and irreversible
• Types of disruption:

  1. Separation - short-term disruption of an attachment bond.
  2. Deprivation - long-term disruption of an attachment bond.
  3. Privation - Never having formed an attachment bond.
• Evaluation of Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation

  • Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation is supported by Harlow’s (1958) research with monkeys. He showed that monkeys reared in isolation from their mother suffered emotional and social problems in older age. The monkey’s never formed an attachment (privation) and, as such, grew up to be aggressive and had problems interacting with other monkeys.
• Evaluation of Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation

  • Critics such as Rutter have also accused Bowlby of not distinguishing between deprivation and privation – the complete lack of an attachment bond, rather than its loss. Rutter stresses that the quality of the attachment bond is the most important factor, rather than just deprivation in the critical period.
• Maternal deprivation : Separation (short-term)

  • Protest: The child cries, screams, and protests angrily when the parent leaves. They will try to cling to their parents to stop them from leaving. Protest could last from a few hours to several days.
  • Despair: The child’s protesting gradually stops, and they appear calmer, although still upset. The child refuses others’ attempts for comfort and often seems withdrawn and uninterested in anything. In the despair stage, children become increasingly withdrawn and hopeless.
• Maternal deprivation : Separation (short-term)

  • Detachment: If separation continues, the child will engage with other people again. All emotions are suppressed, and children live moment-to-moment by repressing feelings for their mother. On the surface, children were seen to be happy and content, but when the mother visited, they frequently ignored her and hardly cried when she left. If this state continues, children become so withdrawn as to seek no mothering at all – a sign of major psychological trauma.
• Institutional care:

  • Childcare provided by orphanages and children's homes.
• Affectionless psychopathy:

  • An inability to show affection or concern for others.
• Deprivation occurs when an attachment that's already been formed has been broken. Privation is the complete absence of something desired or needed.
• Institutionalisation in the context of attachment refers to the effects of growing up in an orphanage or children's home. Children who are raised in these institutions often suffer from a lack of emotional care, which means that children are unable to form attachments.
• Romanian Orphan Studies: Effects Of Institutionalization

  • The Romanian orphan studies are a series of studies conducted in the 1990s that aimed to investigate the long-term effects of institutionalization on the development and behaviour of children who were raised in Romanian orphanages during the Ceausescu regime.
  • Research support - There is a large body of evidence which supports the concept of the critical period and the importance of early intervention where children are being private.