Children raised under favourable family conditions
Emmanuel, raised by his family, is an active explorer and eager to grab any new object he sees
He moves it from hand to hand, and brings it up to his mouth for example
He is completely absorbed by the activity, and pays little attention to those around him
Christine, who regularly attends a nursery, does not behave much differently
She handles the block with both hands
Tries to stack them, and picks them up when they fall
She too is totally absorbed by the game
These two examples show us children whose families offer them complete security
On the other hand, when family conditions are unfavourable to the point of requiring a child's removal from the home, the child’s behaviour will be affected as follows
Institutionalized children
Caroline, a victim of maternal neglect, is anorexic
She picks up one of the blocks, but shows only fleeting interest in playing
She frequently looks at the experimenters in the room
She engages in some play, but is preoccupied by those around her
In the next cases we also see increased attention paid by the child to his environment, and a correlating decrease in attention paid to the game.
For example, Veronique, who is also anorexic, expresses refusal by raising her hands in an avoidance gesture
When she finally picks up a block, the worried looks she casts suggest anxiety
Her demeanor is passive, she does not play
Jean, who was removed from her home at a young age and institutionalized after several failed foster placements, carefully watches the movements of the psychologist
An emotionally deprived child may prioritize social contact, which could be motivated by the child’s intense desire to find a maternal substitute
Her curiosity in new objects is minimal
She accepts without resistance when the block is placed in her hand, but shows no real interest
René, whose case is similar, sits motionless in front of the blocks
After a while, he makes a motion for the block, but is plagued by such anxiety that little by little he becomes totally disinterested in the game and those around him
He withdraws into himself and take refuge in the self-soothing activity of thumb sucking
Annette who is also anorexic, has an attitude of immobility
She is completely disinterested in her surroundings
Her growing anxiety manifests by twitching lip movements and irregular breathing
Autism can be discerned from the vague gaze of this little girl
Here we see Colette, also deprived of affection and care, showing the same symptoms of autism and anxiety. She remains still, and breathes heavily
Thus, emotional deprivation provokes not only the anxiety that is well known to psychologists, but also inhibits the child’s exploratory instincts and curiosity in new objects, and may result in autism in the most serious cases