The following cause-
Jeanine Pepper
The Effects of Attachment Deprivation on Infants
GUIDING QUESTION
What are the effects of social deprivation on infants?
VOCABULARY
The following words are italicized in the essay: instinct, deprivation, stimulation, juvenile. If you do not know their meanings, look them up in a dictionary or online.
1
Infants are born with an instinct to attach themselves, to bond with, their caregivers, whether the caregiver is a parent or some other person. The instinct is so strong that experiments like Harlow’s1 have shown that infants will bond even with cloth substitutes. When infants are deprived of attachment, the effects are both immediate and long-
PAUSE: Note the two effects in this paragraph.
2
The immediate effects of attachment deprivation are obvious and sad. When babies are neglected or abused and deprived of any social stimulation, they are constantly afraid of their environment and others. Imagine being born and not being held or talked to: The world would be a pretty scary place. Another common effect is that they do not learn how to speak or communicate in any way. Because they never experience communication with others, they experience others as foreign and threatening. The infants often become totally withdrawn.
PAUSE: Do any of these effects surprise you? Why or why not?
3
The effects of attachment deprivation often do not end with infancy. As the child grows older, he or she is still fearful, and that fear shows itself as anger. The child is often aggressive, defensive, and friendless. Many juvenile criminals have been shown to have been abused or neglected in infancy.
4
Individuals who are deprived of attachment in infancy are often depressed and more likely to develop drug and alcohol addictions, which in turn may lead to crime. The aggression they showed even as toddlers is more dangerous in adults, leading to fights, lost jobs, or unhealthy or abusive relationships.
5
The saddest long-
6
Not all children who were abused or neglected grow up with these effects. Some are able to develop normally. However, many infants who experienced attachment deprivation grow up to be very troubled human beings. The effects are serious and spread into all areas of their lives and the lives of others around them.
(See “Writing Critically About Readings” in Chapter 1)
Summarize. Briefly summarize Pepper’s essay, including her audience and purpose for writing and all of the major effects.
Analyze. How does Pepper organize the effects?
Synthesize. Did you know about the effects of social deprivation on children? What other kinds of negative behaviors are often carried from one generation to another? How do you know this?
PAUSE: The final question after each reading in this section makes a good essay topic.
Evaluate. Does Pepper clearly present the effects? What contributes to the clarity? Would an instructor reading the essay understand what Pepper has learned about the subject? Does the essay have the Four Basics of Good Cause and Effect (see “Understand What Cause and Effect Are”)?