Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

• Deprivation – to be deprived is to lose something
• Theory of Maternal Deprivation - Bowlby (51, 53) placed an important emphasis on maternal care and believed that infants need a ‘warm, intimate and continuous relationship’ with a mother (or appropriate substitute) - This ensures continuing normal mental health - Prolonged emotional deprivation would have long term consequences on emotional development - Effect will only occur if • Deprivation happens in critical period (before the age of 2-2 ½ years) • No substitute mother for infant
• Skodak and Skeels - Found children placed in institutions scored poorly on intelligence tests - When the same children were transferred to a different institution where some inmates gave the children emotional care, the IQ scores improved
• Bowlby 44 Thieves Study - Studied 88 children from the Child Guidance Clinic in London, 44 who had been caught stealing - Suggested some thieves ‘affectionless psychopaths’ lacking affection/shame/responsibility Findings: • 17 of 44 thieves had experienced early separation • 14 diagnosed as ‘affectionless psychopaths’ (12 of these had frequent separation from their mothers) • 42 out of 44 of the control group had experienced no separation These findings suggest that early childhood separations are linked to affectionless psychopath