Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Definitions

Value of maternal care - children need a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with a mother or mother-substitute

Critical Period - frequent and/or prolonged separations from a mother will have negative effects if they occur before the age of 2 1/2 (critical period) or up to the age 5 (sensitive period) if there is no mother-substitute

Long-term Consequences - includes emotional maladjustment or mental disorder such as depression

Deprivation - loss of care

Privation - total lack of attachment

Description

- Key Study: 44 juvenile thieves

- Findings: 86% of affectionless thieves had frequent separations before 2 years old compared with 17% of other thieves and just 2% of the control group

Evaluation

- Emotional rather than physical separation is harmful (Radke-Yarrow)

- Support for the long-term effects (Bifulco et al)

- Real-world application: films of Laura brought about social change (Bowlby and Robertson)

Further Evaluation

- Individual differences: some children are more seilient (e.g. securely attached children in TB hospital - Bowlby et al)

- Deprivation versus privation: loss of care (deprivation) may not have as serious consequences as total lack of attachemnt (privation) (Rutter)