Mother as the primary caregiver

    Cards (9)

    • FOR:Mother in development of personality
      • Mother role in providing for libido in oral stage, feeding child can overindulge or frustrate, leading to gullibility and optimism or pessimism and envy
      • When child realises maternal separation could lead to unsatisfied needs, separation anxiety occurs
      • Development of femininity through Oedipus or electra complex dependant on relationships w mother in phallic stage
    • FOR: Bowlby Monotropy, internal working model and maternal deprivation
      • internal working model for all future relationships based on that with primary caregiver, shaping attachment type and future relationships- continuity hypothesis
      • mother love in infancy is just as important for a child’s mental health as vitamins and minerals are for physical health’
      • Evolutionary- child attaches to 1 caregiver to ensure survival (monotropy)
      • In critical period, distraction or break in attachment would have long term neg effect such as delinquency (Bowlby 44 thieves)
    • FOR: role of daycare
      • children who spend early continuous time in care of non relatives more likely to show later behavioural problems- aggression or disobedience
      • cared for by relative or childminders also show behavioural problems
      • Elevated corsitol in daycare - hormone links to stress related diseases such as heart disease, dementia and increased illness frequency
      • being with mother is healthy option
    • AGAINST:Multiple attachments
      • longitudinal analysis of babies and their family .
      • birth to 7 months babies have indiscriminate attachment to any adult
      • 7-9 months special attachment w 1or 2 caregivers
      • by 10 months, multiple attachments
      • most important part of attachment is not who feeds and changes child but who plays and communicates
      • responsiveness is the key to attachment
    • AGAINST: Rutter - impact of separation
      • variety of attachment behaviour to a variety of attachment figures
      • Repeated Bowlby’s study w 2000 boys on IOW
      • boys from homes w psychological disorder,stress and arguments more likely to turn to crime but when due to death or illness here unlikely: conflict and stress cause antisocial behaviour not the separation
      • Romanian Orphan study-> orphans adopted before 6 months could overcome effect of early deprivation
    • AGAINST: food is not love
      • importance of comfort in care giving bond
      • When choosing between warm cloths mother and wire mother with food they sought comfort from cloth mother
      • most comforting is who child attaches to so should provide primary care
    • ethical implications of debate
      • prejudice and stereotypes toward same sex male couples when focussing on Freud/ Bowlby.
      • male gay couple brain activity mirrors that of father/mother pairing
      • Mothers who use daycare are prejudiced by one sided viewpoints
    • Social implications of debate
      • recognising role of father= paternity rights Either mother or father or both can take maternity leave to care for child
      • breaks down pressure on women to be homemaker
    • economic implications of debate
      • if mother is primary caregiver where in todays society most female pop work, this has implications for cost of living
      • Policies should be introduced to discourage day care for extended time- expand parental leave and tax policies to reduce economic factor encouraging parents to leave children in others care