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