Topic Summaries

Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

A-Level > Psychology > AQA > A-Level Psychology Topic Summaries > Attachment > Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
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Addiction

  • 👥 Bowlby’s (1951) theory of maternal deprivation proposed that continuous, quality attachment with a caregiver during the first two and a half years (the critical period) is essential for healthy psychological development.
  • Deprivation refers to the loss of attachment due to prolonged separation, which Bowlby argued could lead to intellectual delay and emotional problems. A key emotional consequence is affectionless psychopathy, where individuals show little guilt or empathy, making it difficult to form normal relationships.
  • Bowlby’s 44 Thieves Study compared 44 young people convicted of stealing with 44 young people who were also in a delinquency centre but with no record of stealing. They found that 17 thieves had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers during early childhood. Of these 17, there were 15 juvenile thieves who were classified as affectionless psychopaths. This supports the view that deprivation can have serious long-term effects.
    • The study has been criticised for methodological flaws. Bowlby carried out the assessments himself, creating a risk of researcher bias, and the study was correlational, so we cannot be certain deprivation caused the outcomes.
    • Later research, such as 👥 Rutter (1981), distinguished between privation (failure to form an attachment at all) and deprivation, arguing that some of the severe consequences Bowlby described were more likely due to privation. Despite criticisms, Bowlby’s theory had significant real-world impact, changing hospital practices by ensuring children were not separated from parents for long periods.

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