Another area of development that has been investigated is one of intellect. During the 1940s Spitz (1945) found that in a home for, predominantly, abandoned children, that their DQ levels (the infant equivalent of adult IQ), were significantly lower after a period of twelve months. This resulted in the retardation of both motor skills and language. He attributed this to the impersonal and sterile conditions of their environment where they had little, or no, interaction with their carers. Further research by Spitz into institutionalised children, and in particular those born to women in prison, revealed the infants displayed no retarded characteristics, and attributed this to the motherly love they received. Shaffer (1988) suggests that it would be hard not to concede that the children had also been exposed to a wide range of stimuli, which would have had a positive effect.
This can be illustrated when Skeels (1966) experimented with children in an orphanage. They were already displaying classic characteristics of delayed development, when he placed them in a home for retarded women and found that they improved greatly, a result of the improved interaction they received: The average increase in IQ was of twenty-eight. In comparison, children from the same orphanage, who had not been relocated, generally worsened.
He concluded that their improved environment was a major factor in their development, so much that they reached levels enabling adoption. Later work showed that these individuals went on to lead normal lives by comparison to those that remained institutionalised, who struggled in later life, both intellectually and socially.
It has been found that even in extreme cases of deprivation those individuals can overcome the negative effects, and that they can be reversed.
Koluchova (1972) conducted a case study on two Czechoslovakian twins who had been institutionalised at birth, after the death of their mother, for the first year of their lives. When their father remarried he took them home where they lived until they were around seven. During this time they suffered severe deprivation. Their stepmother kept them in a room apart from the rest of the family, receiving no social, emotional or affectionate contact and they were punished, at times, by being locked in a cellar. This continued for some five years, until they were discovered by local authorities, by this time they had serious problems in the forms of being unable to walk, or play, properly or even communicate in a normal manner. They were taken from the family and placed in an enriched environment, in care, and began to improve, and after twelve months were able to attend a school for retarded children. Again they made good progress, and were put into the care of two sisters, who provided a stimulating and secure setting. They attended a normal school, and over the next year and a half their mental age increased by three years. This progress continued and they were found, by the age of fourteen, to be re-socialised and academically competent with no linguistic deficiencies. These findings would indicate that the change in the twins’ environment, from hostile and impersonal, to one that was enriched and stimulating was instrumental in reversing the effects of deprivation.
Apart from long-term institutionalisation, there is evidence to support the fact that short-term deprivation has an effect on a child, and that is one of distress. Bowlby highlighted this area and used an example of work done by J and J Robertson (1967-73), a series of films entitled ‘Young Children in Brief Separation’. It concerned a child entered into short-term care whilst his mother was hospitalised. He stated that the child displayed three key stages of anxiety. Initially there would be a time of protest, when the child would crying, trying to stop its mother from leaving, struggling to escape – all manifestations of an inner anger. This would then turn to feelings of despair, outwardly appearing calmer, but behaving insular and despondent, with little interest in its surroundings. If at this stage separation continues, the child becomes more responsive but remains impersonal, and after this comes a period of detachment, when the child’s anxiety levels appear lower. During this phase, if reunited with its mother, the child may actually reject her, angry at her leaving him. This is remedied by the gradual ‘relearning’ of the relationship and the trust and affection that were present prior to separation.
An important definition of deprivation was made by Rutter (1981). He stated that deprivation was when a child forms a close relationship with someone and then is separated from the attachment figure. Privation is when the child has never formed these bonds with anyone; Rutter (1981) argued that privation and its long-term effects are much more serious and damaging.
We can see that, according to evidence, when attachments are made, and broken, individuals are deemed to be suffering from deprivation and that the effects are apparent. However, with improved social conditions, intellectual stimulation and a secure, enriched environment, great improvement can be made regarding the child’s development and quality of life.
References
Bowlby. J. (1951) Maternal Care and Mental Health. World Health Organisation.
Skeels. H. M. (1966) Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development Vol. 31 No. 3.
Shaffer. R. Deprivation and its effects on Children. Psychology Review-November 1998.
Spitz. R. A. (1945) Hospitalisation: An Enquiry into the Genesis of Psychiatric Conditions in Early Childhood.
Tizard. B. (1977) Adoption: A Second Chance.
All as cited in Psychology Review (Nov. 1998) pages 2-5.
Koluchova. J. (1972) Severe Deprivation in Twins: A Case Study.
Robertson. J and J. (1967-73) Young Children in Brief Separation.
Rutter. M. (1981) Maternal Deprivation Reassessed. 2nd Edition.
All as cited in Eysenck. M. Psychology, a Students Handbook (2000) Psychology Press.
Bibliography
Gross. R. et al. (2000) Psychology, A New Introduction for A Level (2000) Hodder and Stoughton.
Davenport. G. C. (1996) Essential Psychology (1996) Second Edition.
Eysenck. M. (2000) Psychology a Students Handbook (2000) Psychology Press.
Psychology Review (November 1998)
