Understanding Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

1. Deprivation & privation www.psychlotron.org.uk • Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis • The effects of privation (institutionalisation, extreme cases) • The extent to which privation effects can be reversed

2. Deprivation & privation www.psychlotron.org.uk • Researchers distinguish between: • Deprivation – an attachment forms but is then discontinued • Privation – no opportunity is given for attachments to form • In practice it is difficult to distinguish between them completely

3. Maternal deprivation hypothesis www.psychlotron.org.uk • Based on Bowlby’s ideas: • Attachment is important for survival • Prototypes for later relationships • Predicts developmental difficulty if the attachment relationship goes wrong: • General developmental problems • Specific issues with social development

4. Maternal deprivation hypothesis www.psychlotron.org.uk “Prolonged deprivation of a young child of maternal care may have grave and far-reaching effects on his character…similar in form…to deprivation of vitamins in infancy.” Bowlby (1953)

5. Maternal deprivation hypothesis www.psychlotron.org.uk • Spitz (1945) • Children in orphanages • Signs of ‘anaclitic depression’ • Apathy, withdrawal, helplessness, low appetite • Survival rates of children raised in prison better than those raised in orphanages

6. Maternal deprivation hypothesis www.psychlotron.org.uk • Spitz & Wolf (1946) • 100 psychologically normal children in long-term hospital care • Most showed signs of depression • Recovered quickly if period of hospitalisation was less than 3 months

7. Maternal deprivation hypothesis www.psychlotron.org.uk • Bowlby (1946) • Comparison of ‘delinquent’ (i.e. criminal) and ‘disturbed’ children • 32% of delinquents had an ‘affectionless character’ • Apparent inability to relate to others • 86% of these had experienced maternal deprivation

8. Disruption to attachment process Inability to form relationships with others Delinquent or criminal behaviour www.psychlotron.org.uk Lack of moral constraints on behaviour

9. Maternal deprivation hypothesis www.psychlotron.org.uk • Criticisms of Bowlby (1946): • Retrospective data • ‘Affectionless’ diagnosis made by Bowlby – possibility of bias • Great variation in duration of separation from mother • Overemphasised the fact of separation at the expense of the reasons for separation