Describe and critically assess research in to the effects of deprivation on the subsequent development of children.

Describe and critically assess research in to the effects of deprivation on the subsequent development of children. Bowlby (1969) argued that maternal deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy: the inability to form meaningful interpersonal relationships in later life. However, the link between affectionless psychopathy and bond disruption is not wholly supported by later studies. Instead, it seems Bowlby's definition of 'deprivation' was too broader term, with his hypothesis relating to 'privation' instead. Rutter (1970) split the term 'deprivation' in …

…consistently good substitute care is provided, it is unlikely that the deprived child will be any less normal than a child who has never been deprived. Clearly, Bowlby's theory does hold some resonance, but it seems that his belief that maternal deprivation causes affectionless psychopathy may be true in certain cases of privation, but if a child had formed an attachment at one time, there is no reason why this separation should cause severe problems.