separation refers to infants experiencing short term seperation from their caregiver e.g. hours, days or weeks. whilst upsetting, separations such as this are not thought to cause any long term damage
Roberston and Bowlby created the PDD model after investigating how children responded to separation. they studied children between the ages 1 and 4 years old, whose parents placed them in residential nurseries, usually because they went to hospital. they identified 3 stages in response to separation:
-> Protest
-> Despair
-> Detachment
what is the protest stage of the PDD model?
child cried, grizzled and called for mother. the child was distraught and panic stricken. this stage lasted from several hours to up to a week
what is the despair stage of the PDD model?
the child became apathetic, uninterested in their surroundings, cried occasionally, and had a need for their mother
what is the detachment stage of the PDD model
the child cried less and became more alert and interested. initially they seem to be coping but it seems to be due to the suppression of feelings for the mother. they showed indifference to the mother when she returned and were often angry and rejecting
what did Robertson and Bowlby conclude from the PDD model?
separation affects children in the short term but in the long term theu are fine, there are no long term effects
