ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses examples of privation. The attachment process provides the developing child with a secure base for exploration and the foundation of later relationships. Michael Rutter was basically supportive of Bowlby’s theory but identified various flaws, one of which was that Bowlby had muddled together a variety of different kinds of deprivation. The lack of close relationships was partly because of necessity but also partly because people were unaware of the potential long-term consequences for such children. Pringle and Bossio looked at the adjustment of children living in an institution, identifying two groups: those who were stable and those who were maladjusted. One of the main issues in Bowlby’s argument was that the lack of an attachment figure in early infancy should lead to permanent emotional maladjustment and relationship difficulties later in life.
