Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

• Maternal deprivation


  The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother or mother-substitute
• Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis


  • Continuous 'maternal care' (monotropy) is necessary for emotional and cognitive development
  • There is a critical period (the first 2 ½ years of life) during which any maternal deprivation will affect development and the effects
  • The effects of maternal depreciation would only be experienced if there is no mother-substitute available
  • If no mother-subsiture is present,long term problems are irreversible
• Factors that may lead to maternal deprivation

  • Mental health issues
  • Abusive
  • Working overseas
  • Boarding schools
  • Working long hours
  • Hospitals
  • Prison
  • Children in care
• Intellectual development


  Deprivation causes delayed intellectual development such as low IQ
• Emotional development


  • Causes affectionless psychopathy
  • Inability to experience guilt, remorse or strong emotions towards others
  • Affects ability to develop fulfilling relationships and is associated with committing more crime and anger and violence
• Bowlby's 44 thieves study

  1. Aim: examined the links between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation

  2. Procedure: used a sample of 44 people accused of stealing, interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy and their families interviewed to establish if there was prolonged separation from their mothers, a control group of 44 non-criminal teenagers with emotional problems were assessed

  3. Results: 14/44 thieves were affectionless psychopathy and 17/44 had maternal separation, 12/14 affectionless psychopaths had experienced prolonged separation, 2/44 in control group had maternal separation but 0/44 were affectionless psychopaths

  4. Conclusion: prolonged separation/deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy
• internal working model


  the template (schema) formed for future relationships because of the first most important relationship formed
• continuity hypothesis


  deprivation caused by prolonged seperation from mother limits infant from forming internal working model - affecting adult life
• limitation of bowlbys maternal deprivation theory

  research supporting - correlational, deprivation and delinquency could be linked to other factors - e.g poverty or relatives with criminal pasts
• strength Bowlby maternal deprivation - real life application

  Hospitals - altered policies for child welfare - changing visiting times for mothers + carers and infants at nursery and maternity leave

  • however - nursery more expensive and the difference of paternity and maternity leave may increased the gender pay gap
• limitation Bowlby maternal deprivation - gender bias

  monotropy - exaggerates importance of mother as primary care giver

  • focus on mother alpha biassed - underistamates role of father
  • Schaffer and Emerson - children can form multiple attachments from 9months
  • role of father important - reduces risk taking behaviours and aggression
• Limitation Bowlby Maternal Deprivation - critical period irreversable

  rutter et al (2011) romania baby adoption studies show that effects of maternal deprivation can be reversed