bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation

Cards (16)

  • intro>>>
    - Bolwby is known for his monotropy theory but he also proposed the theory of maternal deprivation
    - This focuses on the idea that the continuous presence of care from a mother is important for normal development of babies
    - Prolonged separation from the adult causes serious damages to their emotional and intellectual development - this leads to maternal deprivation
    - Bowlby ( 1953) said that ‘mother-love in infancy and childhood is important for mental health as are vitamins and proteins for physical health’
  • seperation vs deprivation>>>
    - separation means the kid isnt in the presence of the primary attachment figure
    - Only becomes a problem if if the kid becomes deprived of emotional care
    - Extended separation leads to deprivation which can cause harm
  • critical period>>>
    - Bowlby saw the first 2 ½ years of life as the critical period for psychological development e
    - If kid is separated from mother and becomes deprived of the of their emotional care for an extended time during the critical period, Bowlby believed psychological damage was inevitable
    - Also believed there was a continuing risk up to the age of 5
  • effects on development>>>
    - Intellectual development
    - Emotional development
  • effects: intellectual development>>>
    - Bowlby believed if kids were deprived of maternal care for too long during the critical period, their intellectual development is delayed – characterised by abnormally low IQ
    - This is shown in studies e.g. Goldfarb (1947) found lower IQ in kids who remained in institutions compared to those who got fostered who had a higher standard of emotional care
  • effects: emotional development>>>
    - Bowlby identified affectionless psychopathy – inability to experience guilt/ strong emotions towards others
    - Prevents people developing normal relationships
    - Often associated with criminality – cant appreciate the feelings of victims and lack remorse for their actions
  • bowlbys research>>>
    - Bowlby's (19440 44 thieves study examined the link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
  • bowlby's research : procedure>>>
    - Sample of 44 teen criminal who were accused of stealing
    - All thieves were interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy
    - Characteristed by lack of guilt, lack of empthay for victims
    - Their families were also interviewed to establiseh whther the theives had early prolonged sepration from their mothers
    - Sample was compared to a control group of 44 non-criminals but were emotionally disturbed
  • bowlbys research: findings>>>
    - Found 14/44 thieves were describes as having affectionless psychopathy
    - 12 of them experienced prolonged separation from their mothers within the first 2 years of life
    - 5/30 remaining had experienced separations
    - Only 2/44 in the control group experienced long separations
    - … concluded that prolonged early seperation caused affectionless psychopathy
  • ao3 flawed evidence + cp>>> (1/3)
    - Bowlby's 44 theives study is flawed because its bowlby himself who carried out both family interviews w/ affectionless psychopathy
    - He's open to bias – knew in advance which teens he expected to show signs of psychopathy
  • ao3 flawed evidence + cp>>> (2/3)
    • Bowlby was also influenced by findings of Goldfarb (1943) research on the development of deprived kids in wartime orphanages
    - this confounding variables – kids had experienced early trauma, institutional care and prolonged separation from their primary caregiver
    - Means the Bowlby’s original sources of evidence of maternal deprivation had flaws and would be reliable data
  • ao3 flawed evidence + cp>>> (3/3)
    cp// However, theres some research that provides support that maternal deprivaiton can have long-term effects
    - Le'vy et al (2003) sowed that separating baby rats from their mother for a day had a permanent effect on their social development
    - … shows that although Bowlby relied on flawed evidence , their are other sources that support his idea on maternal deprivation.
  • ao3 deprivation vs privation>>>
    - confusion between different types of early experience
    - Rutter (1981) made a distinction between 2 types of early negative experience
    - Deprivation ~ the loss of the primary attachment figure after attachment has developed
    - Privation ~ the failure to form any attachment in the first place
    - often happens when kids are brought up in institutional care
  • ao3 deprivation vs privation>>>(2/2)
    - Rutter also found that the severe long-term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation is more likely to be a result of privation
    - So kids studied by Golfarb may have been ‘prived’ rather than deprived
    - many in the 44 thieves study had disrupted early live (e.g. in hospital) and may never have formed strong attachments
    - … means Bowlby may have overestimated the seriousness of effect of deprivation in kids development
  • ao3 critical vs sensitive periods>>> (1/2)
    • to bowlby, damage was inevitable if a child didn’t form an attachment within the first 2 ½ years of life (critical period)
    - Evidence shows that good quality aftercare can prevent most/ all this damage
  • ao3 critical vs sensitive periods>>>(2/2)
    • Jarmila Koulchova’ reported the case of the Cezch twins
    - Experienced severe physical and emotional abuse from the age of 18 months7 years old
    - Even though they were damaged emotionally, they received good after care – by the time they were teens, they had fully recovered
    - .. means that lasting harm is inevitable even in cases of privation – shows that critical period is better seen as the sensitive period.