Maternal deprivation

• who developed the theory of maternal deprivation?

  Bowlby
• what does Bowbly's theory of maternal deprivation focus on?

  the idea that the continual presence of nurture from a mother is essential for normal psychological development.
• what is deprivation?

  extended separations which cause harm
• when is the critical period?

  the first 30 months
• if the child is deprived of emotional care for an extended period during the critical period, psychological damage is inevitable.
• what are the 2 ways that maternal deprivation has on development?

  • intellectual development
  • emotional development
• maternal deprivation effects on intellectual development:

  • delayed intellectual development
  • abnormally low IQ 


  Goldfarb found lower IQ in those who remained in institutions
• maternal deprivation effects on emotion development:

  • affectionless psychopathy
• what is affectionless psychopathy?

  the inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others

  • prevents the development of normal relationships and is associated with criminality as they lack remorse
• What study supports Bowlby's Theory on maternal deprivation?

  44 Thieves

  • examined the link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
• what was the procedure for Bowlby's 44 Thieves study?

  44 criminal teenagers accused of stealing

  • interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy
  • the families were also interviewed in order to establish prolonged separation from their mothers
  • study also include a control group
• what were Bowlby's findings of his 44 thieves study?

  14 out of the 44 thieves could be described as affectionless psychopaths.

  • 12/14 had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers during the critical period
  • 2/44 of the control group had experienced long separations
  • concluded that prologues deprivation causes affectionless psychopahty
• the 44 Thieves Study has major design flaws

  Researcher bias

  • Bowlby carried out the assessments himself, knowing what he hoped to find
• Failure to distinguish between deprivation and privation

  rutter distinguished between deprivation and privation

  • deprivation means the loss of the primary attachment figure
  • privation means the failure to form any attachment in the first place
  • suggested that the damage is more likely to be due with privation