Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation

What is meant by maternal deprivation?

• Child has attachment but then is is disrupted e.g. mum goes to prison.

• Child never has the chance to for a meaningful bond e.g. raised in an institutional care home

What is meant by maternal privation?

• Child has attachment but then is is disrupted e.g. mum goes to prison.

• Child never has the chance to for a meaningful bond e.g. raised in an institutional care home

Bowlby's famous study into the impact of maternal deprivation was called..

• 44 Juvenile Thieves Study

• 88 Juvenile Thieves study

• 44 Asbo kids study

• 144 Juvenile Thieves Study

Bowlby's results from the 44 Juvenile Thieves Study

• 39% (Focus group) & 5% of control had experienced maternal deprivation

• 99% (Focus group) & 50% of control had experienced maternal deprivation

• 89% (Focus group) & 25% of control had experienced maternal deprivation

4 main long term consequences of experiencing maternal deprivation

• Criminality

• Law abiding

• Low IQ

• Problems with relationships

• Affectionless Psychopathy

How did Rutter challenge Bowlby?

• Bowlby didn't distinguish between different types of separation

• Bowlby used animal and not humans so can't generalise from the results

• All of Bowlby's sample were female (gynocentric) so can't generalise to males

2 ways to criticise Bowlby's findings from the 44 juvenile thieves study

• Results are only show a possible correlation. Criminality could have caused by something else e.g. poverty

• Possible researcher bias as Bowlby was responsible for deciding if any the participants were affectionless psychopaths

• Gender bias - due to being an all female sample

• Sample was on animals so can't generalise to humans

What is meant by monotropy?

• Need to form one main primary attachment bond to act as a secure base.

• Need to have just one partner

• Need to have one family

What is meant by an internal working model?

• 1st attachment acts as a template (in the mind) for all future relationships

• Having one primary caregiver

• Must have an attachment during a certain period of time or else the child will suffer from long term irreversible social development issues

• Following the first moving thing you see.

What is meant by a critical period

• 1st attachment acts as a template (in the mind) for all future relationships

• Having one primary caregiver

• Must have attachment during a certain period of time or else the child will suffer from long term issues

• Following the first moving thing you see.