Maternal deprivation during the first two years of a child’s life can result in extensive and irreversible psychological damage, including delayed emotional and intellectual development, aggression, and depression. Ineffective maternal response can also lead to similar symptoms. Factors such as young motherhood, postpartum depression, and lack of parenting role models can increase the chances of maternal deprivation. John Bowlby’s attachment theory highlights the importance of maternal bonding for healthy child development.
Most psychologists believe that infants and children must form close relationships with a single primary caregiver for healthy development. In most cases, these attachments will form with the mother. When maternal deprivation occurs, these children are denied that bond. These children often suffer from a range of adverse effects, including poor appetite and delayed emotional and intellectual development. As teenagers and adults, these individuals may be more aggressive, less able to show emotion, and more prone to depression.
In the field of child development, many believe the importance of the mother cannot be overstated. John Bowlby, a psychoanalyst specializing in child development, has made the subject of maternal deprivation his life’s work. His findings, often called Bowlby’s attachment theory, provide many insights into the effects of emotional separation between mother and child.
Bowl identified the first two years of a child’s life as the most critical time for bonding. She hypothesized that maternal deprivation during this period could result in both extensive and irreversible psychological damage. Because many aspects of a child’s personality, including the ability to relate to others, are established by age three, she Bowl assumes that the primary caregiver during these years serves as a role model for these traits. Children who are denied maternal affection, she said, often become unable to show empathy or affection in adult relationships.
Since Bowlby’s work, the definition of maternal deprivation has grown to include not only maternal absence but also ineffective maternal response. Children who are physically cared for but lack social interaction and physical contact with their primary caregiver often exhibit many of the same symptoms as children who are denied contact altogether. In short, a mother not only needs to be present, but she needs to be adequately involved.
Failure to grow up is often attributed to this aloof parenting style. In infants, any instance of the condition that is not related to specific health problems is generally considered to be caused by maternal deprivation. Children who have been diagnosed with stunting are often smaller than other children their age. They often achieve cognitive and emotional milestones later than others and show difficulty in social situations.
Several conditions appear to increase the chances of maternal deprivation. Very young mothers, for example, may lack the emotional maturity needed to encourage healthy bonding. Postpartum depression is a major factor in many cases of detached parenting, reducing the mother’s ability to bond with her child. Additionally, some mothers raised in abusive or neglectful homes suffer from a lack of adequate parenting role models.
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