Bowly's Theory
- Created by: ashfarmer4
- Created on: 13-03-23 17:49
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- Bowlby's Theory
- Claims
- Child initially forms attachment with mother.
- This relationship will impact on all future relationships.
- Healthy attachments
- Normal child development.
- Lack of healthy attachments
- Violent behaviour.
- Components
- Interviewed 44 criminal teenagers, accused of stealing.
- Interviewed for signs- lack of guilt.
- Families also interviewed.
- To establish whether the 'thieves' had separation from their mothers.
- Control group.
- But emotionally disturbed.
- See how often maternal separation occurred in children who weren't thieves.
- 39% of delinquents.
- Experiences complete separation from their mothers.
- 5% of control group
- Had experienced separation from mothers.
- Shows that childhood trauma can impact criminality.
- Credibility
- Dominant explanation of why attachments develop and how.
- Used observational research to support his theory.
- Generalisations can be made.
- Study has been replicated many times.
- Evolutionary ideas very difficult for testing and difficult to prove.
- Deterministic
- Implies those that don't form maternal attachments will become criminals.
- Reductionist
- Doesn't take into account other factors that may cause delinquency such as peer group.
- Or biological factors.
- Doesn't take into account other factors that may cause delinquency such as peer group.
- Analysis
- John Massey
- English former prisoner.
- Received mandatory life sentence
- Minimum of 20 years.
- Murdered Charlie Higgins
- Spent more than double the amount due to escaping 3x.
- November 2019- subject of Channel 4 documentary.
- "What makes a Murderer"
- Interviewed and assessed.
- Both physically and psychologically.
- To see whether there were pre-existing factors.
- Which made him more likely to kill.
- To see whether there were pre-existing factors.
- Both physically and psychologically.
- Childhood abandonment at 3 may have contributed to his murder.
- He had two specific brain injuries.
- Refuting Evidence
- Clarke and Clarke (1976)
- Studied children from deprived backgrounds.
- Used a longitudinal study.
- Found many factors.
- That contributed to a child becoming a criminal.
- Not just whether or not they were deprived.
- That contributed to a child becoming a criminal.
- Weisner and Gallimore (1977)
- Said mothers are the exclusive parents in only a very small % of human societies.
- Often there are a number of people involved in the care of children.
- Such as relations and friends.
- Clarke and Clarke (1976)
- Supporting Evidence
- Freud's Psychodynamic Theory
- Supports Bowly's idea.
- That traumatic experiences in early childhood are linked to criminality.
- Supports Bowly's idea.
- Bifulco et al (1992)
- Support the maternal deprivation hypothesis.
- Found loss of their mother doubles the risk of depressive and anxiety disorders.
- Studied 250 women who lost their mothers before 17.
- Support the maternal deprivation hypothesis.
- Freud's Psychodynamic Theory
- Claims
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