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Classic Evidence: Bowlby (1944) - Coggle Diagram
Classic Evidence: Bowlby (1944)
Methodology
Participants
series of case studies
was a control group but the study was NOT an experiment
The final analysis looked at an association between two groups of pps (thieves & control) and experiences of separation
Focus of the study: Thieves
Focus on 44 children who attended a child guidance clinic in London
The children were described as thieves due to stealing being one of their 'symptoms'
The sample consisted of 31 boys & 13 girls between the ages 5 & 17
Each child was graded in terms of the seriousness of their stealing -> Grade IV thieves (22 children) had been stealing for a long time some more than 3+ years -> Grade I thieves had only committed one theft (4 children)
All were mainly of average intelligence -> about 50% had an IQ score of 85-114 -> 15 of the thieves had a higher IQ -> 2 fell below 85
Control Group
consisted of a further 44 children who attended the clinic
Similar age, sex & IQ to the thieves
Emotionally disturbed but did not steal
Mothers
Interviewed in order to assess the case histories if the children
Procedures
Initial Examination
Opportunity sampling
On arrival at the clinic each child was given a mental test to assess their intelligence (Binet Scale) by a psychologist who also noted the emotional attitude of the child
At the same time a social worker interviewed the mother & recorded preliminary details of the child's early psychiatric history
The psychologist & social worker reported to Bowlby who then interviewed the child & mother
School & other reports were then considered & Conclusions were then discussed
Therapy
Many of the children continued to meet with the psychiatrist (Bowlby) weekly over a 6 month + period
The mothers talked over their problems with the social worker
These allowed for a detailed case history to be built & for the psychiatrist to diagnose the children's emotional problems
Findings
Diagnosis
It was necessary to distinguish between different possible personality types
Bowlby's view was that their were six main personality types:
Normal - those whose characters appear normal & stable
Depressed - those who have been unstable and now in a more/less depressed state of mind
Circular - unstable who show alternating depression & over-activity
Hyperthymic - those who tend to be constantly more overactive
Affectionless - those characterised by a lack of normal affection, shame & sense of responsibility
Schizoid - those who show marked schizoid/schizophrenic symptoms
Affectionless characteristic
14 classed as affectionless
12/14 experienced frequent separations from their mothers e.g. Betty I - placed in a foster home at 7 months when her parents split up, moved form one home to another & spent a year in convent school before returning home aged 5, Derek B - 18 months old hospitalised due to diphtheria stayed their for 9 months and was not visited by his parents, Kenneth W - between ages 3&9 he was primarily cared for by his grand-father who had no control over him
These separations were rare amongst the other types
3/30 of non-affectionless had experienced separations
Control = 2/44 who experienced prolonged separations
Other factors
17 of the thieves had experienced early separation
The remaining 27, 17 had mothers who were 'extremely anxious, irritable or fussy or else rigid, domineering and oppressive … traits that mask unconscious hostility'
5/27 had fathers who openly hated them
These experiences were also reported by the non-thieves group therefore might explain emotional problems but not delinquency
Conclusions
The children would not have become offenders if they had not had experiences that were harmful to healthy development
Bowlby subscribed to the psychoanalytic view that early experiences are vitally important in later development -> he particularly focused on the relationship between a mother & a child & the importance of emotional development -> he proposed that damage to this relationship would affect the development of the the super-ego -> leading to a reduced sense of right & wrong
Juvenile delinquency is the consequence of many & complex factors such as poverty, bad housing & lack of recreational facilities
Implications for treatment
Treatment should be offered to delinquents if the study findings are correct -> though this process is slow & difficult the earlier the diagnosis the better it is for treatment
Evaluation: Methodology & Procedures
No causal findings
All that is demonstrated in the findings is that there is a relationship between the variable (prolonged separation & emotional problems)
There could be other variables that caused the emotional problems -. e.g. discord in the home 'caused' prolonged separations and the affectionless nature of some children -> It could be that the affectionless character caused the separations
Therefore no causal conclusions should be drawn
Biased Data
Bowlby produced a record of qualitative data on each pps based on extensive interviews with the children & their families
This data has the advantage of providing insights into the events that preceded the children's problems
The data is however limited as it is based on the view of one person -> perceptions may have been biased to his own beliefs
Further bias = case histories based on recollections of parents about events that happen many years before -> likely to be inaccurate or social desirability bias
The Sample
All 88 children were emotionally disturbed -> may no have been appropriate to generalise from this sample to all children -> e.g. may be delinquents who have no emotional disturbance and the cause of their delinquency may be more social than emotional
Bowlby suggests that it would be useful to examine a sample of children appearing in court for stealing in order to determine whether all cases of delinquency have a similar explanation
Evaluation: Alternative Evidence
A criticism of Bowlby's research is that he muddled together different experiences
Spearation may not just cahse long-lasting damage expecially if a good substitue is given
A lack of emotional care before the age of six moths appears to be something that children can recover from -> Romanian Orphans (Rutter & Sonuga-Barke 2010)
But Bowlby's basic conclusion has been supported in subsequent research -> lack of emotional care during key periods of development appears to have long-lasting & serious consequences -> physical underdevelopment, intellectual retardation & difficulties in later relationships
Romanian Orphans (Michael Rutter et al, 2010) were compared with each other: those adopted before/after the age of 6 months -> those adopted later lagged behind a control group of UK children on all measure of physical, cognitive & social development
Ethical Issues & Social Implications
Confidentiality & Privacy
Not given confidentiality: 1st names & initial of last names given, details of lives provided, makes it easy to identify individuals & families
Information would be published: details collected during interviews as part of treatment, some pps preferred details not to be published
Valid Consent
Parents are asked to provide valid consent for the child
Children & families seen at the clinic in the years 1936-39 but the report was published in 1946: suggests data was not used at the time the children were treated -> difficult to get consent 5+ years later