"Some children recover well from privation, but others hardly recover at all". Outline research into the effects of privation and consider the extent to which the effects of privation can be reversed

Koluchova in 1976 studied identical twins in Czechoslovakia who during most of the first 7 years of their life were locked in a cellar. They were often beaten and were barely able to talk and therefore relied on gestures. At the age of 9, the twins were fostered by two loving sisters (which meant they stayed in close contact) and by 14, their behaviour was completely normal. By age 20, their intelligence was above average and they had excellent relationships with their foster family. This study suggests that there is complete reversibility from privation. However, a criticism of this is that when the twins were locked in the cellar they had each other, and it is possible that they made good attachments with each other and therefore that’s how they may have been able to avoid the harmful effects of privation. Also, the study doesn’t say why the twins were locked up, and the reason for this may have affected the results of how the twins recovered, e.g. they could have been mentally impaired.

In 1951, Freud and Dann recorded a case study on 6 war orphans whose mother had been killed in the concentration camps when they were only a few months old. For about 2 years, they lived together in a deportation camp where they saw shocking scenes such as hangings. They had little contact with anyone except themselves and they formed attachments with each other. After the war, they were flown to England, where they were found to be physically underdeveloped, couldn’t speak properly and they did not like adults. Eventually, they all became attached to carers, and they all developed both socially and linguistically, which suggests that they recovered. In conclusion it is difficult to say whether the early experiences had any harmful effects, however one orphan received psychiatric help and another reported feeling lonely and isolated. But this could just be coincidence and there is no reason to link it to the effects of privation. Also, like the study above, the orphans may have avoided the effects of privation by making attachments with each other.

Curtiss in 1989 conducted a case study of Genie, a girl who was locked in a room for 13.5 years and had little contact with anyone. When she was found, she had not been fed properly, could not stand properly, had no social skills and could not communicate because she never learnt how to. She was educated and improved on perceptual skills but she never learnt to speak properly. She spoke in short, ungrammatical sentences and seemed very uninterested in people. This study shows very little reversibility, and suggests that the effects of privation are permanent. However, like the war orphans and the identical twins studies, this study is of one individual and what happened does not happen often. Therefore the results cannot be generalised to the whole of the population.

In conclusion, the findings of studies into the effects of privation are very mixed. Hodges and Tizard found that the children recovered in emotional aspects but not socially, whereas studies into more than one individual who had close contact suggested that they recovered completely, although this could be due to the fact that they could have formed close attachments with each other. Lastly, the study of Genie suggests that the effects of privation are long-lasting. Therefore the effects of privation are not clear.