"According to the maternal deprivation hypothesis, infants regardless of whether they are puppies, monkeys or humans will not develop normally unless they receive the warm loving attention of a mother figure to whom they can become attached.
...Spitz term, anaclitic depression, describes the apathy, social ineptitude, physical morbid rigidity and absence of verbal expression prevalent in these foundling home children.
Harlows term, catatonic contracture; a bizarre form of social apathy found in rhesus monkeys raised in isolation, is similar to anaclitic depression.
Harlow noted, the animal exhibits vacant staring and is unresponsive to ordinary stimulation in the environment, such as calls or movement of caretakers.
Accordingly, the correlation between anaclitic depression identified in foundling home children and catatonic contracture identified in rhesus monkeys raised under isolation conditions, illustrates the maternal deprivation hypothesis.
It is no surprise that maternally deprived children are plagued with stress, as inconsistency in parental treatment of the child, together with frequent and intense changes in mood and reactivity are antecedents to anxiety among young children.
Additionally, children born into circumstances of parental neglect and abuse are often hindered in their ability to adequately explore the environment and interact with others.
According to Erick Erikson, these circumstances may prevent independent behavior and elicit anxiety when confronted with new or challenging situations.
-//- Ultimately such children are likely to live in the shadows of a social group, listening rather than participating, and preferring the solitude of withdrawal above the interchange of participation.
Clearly, sustained interaction with other members of the species is a requirement for infants if they are to thrive.
Socially deprived infants may develop feelings of helplessness and gradually refrain from attempting to control their environment.
Eventually, they may conclude that they do not affect their outcomes and that nothing they do seems to matter to anyone.
...the child who does not receive the proper kinds of stimulation within the initial three-year time frame will remain forever deficient, regardless of the experiences or training she may later receive.
Summarily, socially competent children are those who have been exposed to an early social environment that was responsive to their needs, wishes, and actions. Children require consistent exposure to many kinds of novel sensory stimulation and experiences in order to normally respond to the environment and develop into healthy human beings. "
...Spitz term, anaclitic depression, describes the apathy, social ineptitude, physical morbid rigidity and absence of verbal expression prevalent in these foundling home children.
Harlows term, catatonic contracture; a bizarre form of social apathy found in rhesus monkeys raised in isolation, is similar to anaclitic depression.
Harlow noted, the animal exhibits vacant staring and is unresponsive to ordinary stimulation in the environment, such as calls or movement of caretakers.
Accordingly, the correlation between anaclitic depression identified in foundling home children and catatonic contracture identified in rhesus monkeys raised under isolation conditions, illustrates the maternal deprivation hypothesis.
It is no surprise that maternally deprived children are plagued with stress, as inconsistency in parental treatment of the child, together with frequent and intense changes in mood and reactivity are antecedents to anxiety among young children.
Additionally, children born into circumstances of parental neglect and abuse are often hindered in their ability to adequately explore the environment and interact with others.
According to Erick Erikson, these circumstances may prevent independent behavior and elicit anxiety when confronted with new or challenging situations.
-//- Ultimately such children are likely to live in the shadows of a social group, listening rather than participating, and preferring the solitude of withdrawal above the interchange of participation.
Clearly, sustained interaction with other members of the species is a requirement for infants if they are to thrive.
Socially deprived infants may develop feelings of helplessness and gradually refrain from attempting to control their environment.
Eventually, they may conclude that they do not affect their outcomes and that nothing they do seems to matter to anyone.
...the child who does not receive the proper kinds of stimulation within the initial three-year time frame will remain forever deficient, regardless of the experiences or training she may later receive.
Summarily, socially competent children are those who have been exposed to an early social environment that was responsive to their needs, wishes, and actions. Children require consistent exposure to many kinds of novel sensory stimulation and experiences in order to normally respond to the environment and develop into healthy human beings. "
