Lesson 2: Psychosocial Causes of Abnormal Behaviour
Itard’s “Wild Boy of Aveyron” Studies
In Aveyron, France, in 1800, hunters were stalking prey in a forest when they happened upon a “wild boy”. The boy was described as a savage without any of the refinements of a civilized person. The French government persuaded Jean Itard, a young doctor, to civilize and study the child. Itard did not favour the notion that a person’s behavior was predetermined, so he eagerly went about trying to “civilize” the young boy. The boy, who Itard named Victor, was covered in scratches and animal bites and could not speak. Itard worked very hard with Victor for five years with limited success. Victor was only able to learn to speak a few words, keep himself clean, and become affectionate to others. Itard, feeling his “experiment” with Victor was a failure, gave up trying to teach the boy and left Victor’s care to his housekeeper. Victor died at the age of 40.
Because Victor never learned to communicate fully, no one discovered how he came to live in the forest or how he was able to survive on his own. Modern psychologists have closely researched the case of Victor and have reached many differing opinions.
Some believe that Victor was developmentally delayed or autistic, and that is why he never learned to speak or properly interact with other humans. Others argue that Victor could not have been developmentally delayed or he never would have survived for so long on his own. The same scientists also suggest that Victor may have missed important critical periods in his development and that is why he never became verbal or socially developed. Either way, the tragic case of Victor lends support to the notion that environment is very important in determining how we behave, and that genetics alone does not provide the entire blueprint for our behavior and personalities.
Deprivation for many children consists of having parents that provide distorted or inadequate care at home. Parents such as these neglect and often reject their children. Some children raised in such homes develop failure to thrive syndrome. This syndrome is a severe disorder of growth and development. The disturbing case of Genie illustrates severe parental neglect. Discovered in 1970 at the age of 13, Genie (not her real name) had lived in a state of extreme sensory and social deprivation. She was strapped to a potty-chair, not taught to speak, and was denied normal human interaction.
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For more information on Genie, click on the link below: |
Video:Â The secret case of Genie Wiley, the wild child