Bowlby

Bowlby

1. Theory of Attachment

   • ASCMI
     • Adaptive
     • Social Releasers
       • Cute Actions to start interaction
     • Critical Period
       • 2/2.5 years
         • Now called sensitive period
         • Now believed to be up to 5 years
     • Monotropy
       • 1 Supreme Attachment
         • Bowlby labelled this person the "mother"
     • Internal Working Model
       • Relationship with primary caregiver seen as a mindset for all future relationships
   • Evaluation
     • Strength
       • Support for Social Releasers
         • Brazleton
           • Experiment testing behaviour of infants in caregiver makes no interaction
           • Babies tried to start interaction and became distressed when efforts failed
       • Support for Internal Working Models
         • Bailey
           • compared mother-daughter relationships over generations
           • found most mother relationships are reflected in the child relationship
     • Limitation
       • Mixed evidence for monotropy
         • Schaffer + Emerson
           • Some babies had no specific attachment
             • However some did
       • Monotropy is sociallly insensitive
         • Implies a female is a bad mother if she does not dedicate her life to her child
         • Puts pressure on women to be responsible for her child's psychological wellbeing throughout life

2. Theory of Maternal Deprivation

   • Deprivation is when the separation is consistent enough to prevent further attachment
   • Critical period = 2.5 years
     • Deprived maternal attachment = inevitable psychological damage
   • Effects on development
     • Intellectual
       • Lower IQ
       • Goldfarb 1955
         • Lower IQ in institutionalised children than foster children
     • Emotional
       • Affectionless psychopathy
         • Links with crime
       • Prevent forming secure relationships
         • Often leads to depression
     • 44 thieves study
       • Bowlby found how many of the 44 thieves were affection less psychopaths
         • Found how many of those 14 were maternally deprived
           • 12/14
         • 14/44
   • Evaluation
     • Poor evidence
       • Goldfarb
         • Most children orphaned by war
       • Romanian Orphan Studies
         • Institution so poor in quality
       • 44 thieves study open to researcher bias allegations
     • Counter evidence
       • Lewis
         • Replicated 44 thieves study on 500 young peoplr
         • Found no link between maternal deprivation and insufficient emotional development
     • Critical period
       • Now believed to be more of a sensitive period
       • Considered to be up to 5 years
       • Twins kept in a cupboard until they were 7
         • Cared for by 2 loving adults and are psychological stable