Classic research

• What is the classic research of the psychodynamic approach?

  Bowlby

  44 juvenile thieves
• Maternal deprivation hypothesis

  Proposed by Bowlby.

  Focus on continuous relationship between infant & caregiver. Interruption of this relationship can lead to instability.

  Development of this relationship must occur during critical period of first 12 months. If relationship is disrupted during first 2 1/2 years of the child’s life, the child is likely to become emotionally disturbed & cognitive development may be delayed.
• Goldfarb (1943)


  Studied 2 groups of children from age 6 months to 3 1/2 years.

  Group 1 raised in institutions.

  Group 2 raised in foster homes.

  By age 3, group 1 lagged behind on a range of measures such as rule following & sociability. Between ages 10-14 group 1 continued to perform worse on IQ scores than group 2.
• Bowlby identified 2 serious consequences of maternal deprivation 


  Affectionless psychopathy - inability to experience guilt or deep feeling for others.

  Developmental retardation - might not develop ‘normal’ level of intelligence.
• Bowlby - Participants 


  44 children (31 boys & 13 girls).

  Children attended the London Child Guidance Clinic after being described as thieves.

  Aged 5-17 years.

  44 children in control group - matched pairs
• Bowlby - grade 1 


  1 theft

  3 children
• Bowlby - grade 2


  A few thefts

  8 children
• Bowlby - grade 3


  Persistent but irregular mild pilfering over a long period

  10 children
• Bowlby - grade 4


  Chronic and serious thieving for lengthy periods

  23 children
• Bowlby’s procedures

  Participants obtained using opportunity sampling.

  Mothers interviewed to provide a case history of the children’s lives.

  Initial examination of children on arrival at clinic.

  Stanford Binet used to assess intelligence. Emotional attitude also noted.

  Mothers interviewed by social worker, mother & child interviewed by psychologist.

  School & medical reports looked at.

  For 6 months + the children met weekly with psychiatrist whilst mothers talked to social worker.
• Bowlby’s methodology 


  Used interviews and secondary data (school & medical reports) to create case studies on the children.
• Bowlby’s findings 


  The children fit into 6 main personality types:

  Normal

  Depressed

  Circular

  Hyperthermic

  Affectionless

  Schizoid

  14 were affectionless. 12 of these 14 had experienced frequent separations from their mothers. 13 of the 14 were grade 5.

  In total, 17 of the thieves experienced early & prolonged separation. The remaining 27 didn‘t, but often had anxious, unstable, nagging mothers, fathers who hates them outright and were unwanted.
• Bowlby’s conclusions

  Bowlby is doubtful whether a law-abiding affectionless character exists.

  The affectionless thieves have a ‘remarkably distinctive early history- prolonged separations from their mothers or foster mothers.’

  The children would not have become offenders if they had not had experiences that were harmful to healthy development.

  Damage to emotional development affects personality development leading to a reduced sense of right & wrong.
• Methodological issues of Bowlby

  Population validity - gathered from the same clinic (controls also from clinic)

  Interviews are subjective. Bowlby may have been biased.

  Reliant on the mothers‘ memory.

  Social desirability bias - mothers may lie to show themselves in a more positive light.

  Shows correlation not causation?
• Methodological strengths of Bowlby


  Qualitative data - detailed.
• Ethical issues of Bowlby

  Confidentiality - names of children & private details of their life published.

  Privacy - personal questions asked.

  Consent - mothers unaware of full extent of study and it‘s aims.
• Positive social implications of Bowlby -


  Preventative measures can be put in place - identify signs of maternal deprivation.

  Raise awareness to the negative effects of maternal deprivation & the importance of the critical period - increase in foster homes over institutions.

  Hospitals / prisons allow mother & child to be together.