Maternal deprivation

• According to Bowlby (1951), healthy psychological development is dependent upon attachments forming between infants and their caregivers
• The maternal deprivation hypothesis explains what happens when these attachments are broken
• Bowlby used the term maternal deprivation to refer to the continual separation or total loss of the mother during the critical period
• Is the relationship with the attachment figure is broken or continually disrupted during the critical period Bowlby believed the child would experience irreversible psychological, intellectual and emotional damage. This risk of damage continues until a child reaches the age of 5
• Separation means not being in the presence of the primary caregiver which is usually for a relatively short period of time
• Deprivation occurs when a bond that has been formed is broken and an element of care is taken away
• Privation is a complete absence of an attachment figure which results in permanent emotional damage
• Short term separations from the caregiver consists of brief, temporary separations from attachment figures
• Bowlby described the distress caused by short term separation in terms of the ‘PDD model’
• Protest:

  1. an immediate reaction to separation
  2. outward, direct expression of the child’s emotions of anger, fear and confusion
  3. is shown by crying, screaming, kicking and clinging to mother to prevent her leaving
• Despair:

  1. protest replaced by calmer, more apathetic behaviour
  2. anger and fear are still felt inwardly
  3. little response to offers of comfort, instead the child will comfort themselves
• Detachment:

  1. the child responds to people again, but treats everyone warily
  2. rejection of the caregiver on return is common, as are signs of anger
• Bowlby believed if a child was deprived of maternal care for too long during the critical period they would suffer ‘mental retardation’ characterised by an abnormally low IQ
• Golfarb (1955) followed 30 orphaned children until the age of 12. Of the original sample half had been fostered by 4 months of age, whilst the others remained in the orphanage. the fostered group had an average IQ of 96 and those who remained in the orphanage had an IQ of 68, within the ‘retarded’ range
• Bowlby believed that being deprived of a mothers emotional care can affect a child’s emotional development. this can result in a child being unable to experience guilt or strong emotions for others and develop normal relationships.
• Marian Radke-Yarrow et al (1985) studied mothers who were severely depressed and found that 55% of their children were insecurely attached, compared with 29% in the non-depressed group
• Before Bowlby’s research, children were separated from parents when they spent time in hospital. Visiting was discouraged of even forbidden. One of Bowlby’s colleagues, James Robinson (1952), filmed a two year old girl Laura during the eight day period she was in hospital. She is seen to be frequently distressed and begs to go home
• Koluchova (1976) reported the case of twin boys from Czechoslovakia who were isolated from the age of 18 months until they were 7 years of age. Subsequently they were looked after by two loving adults and appeared to fully recover