(Late Latin deprivatio - loss, deprivation) (in psychology) - a mental state, the occurrence of which is caused by the life activity of an individual in conditions of prolonged deprivation or significant limitation of opportunities to satisfy his vital needs.

Absolute deprivation

Absolute deprivation is the impossibility for a person, as well as for a social group, to satisfy their basic needs due to lack of access to material goods and social resources. For example, to housing, food, education, medicine.

Relative deprivation

Relative deprivation is understood as a subjectively perceived and also painfully experienced discrepancy between value expectations (living conditions and benefits that people believe they are entitled to in all fairness) and value opportunities (living conditions and benefits that can be obtained in reality).

Similarities and differences between deprivations

Despite the variety of types of deprivation, their manifestations in psychological terms are essentially similar. As a rule, the mental state of a deprived person is revealed in his increased anxiety, fear, and a feeling of deep, often inexplicable for the person, dissatisfaction with himself, his environment, and his life.

These conditions are expressed in loss of vital activity, in persistent depression, sometimes interrupted by bursts of unprovoked aggression.

At the same time, in each individual case the degree of deprivation “defeat” of the individual is different. The severity and correlation of two main groups of factors are of decisive importance here:

1. the level of stability of a particular individual, his deprivation experience, the ability to withstand the impact of the situation, i.e. the degree of her psychological “hardening”;
2. the degree of severity, modification power and a measure of the multidimensionality of deprivation effects.

A partial restriction of the possibilities of satisfying one of the needs, especially in the case of a temporary deprivation situation, is fundamentally less dangerous in its consequences for the individual compared to cases when he finds himself in conditions of prolonged and almost complete impossibility of satisfying this need. And yet, the unidirectional deprivation effect, no matter how severe it may be, can sometimes be significantly weakened due to the full satisfaction of the remaining basic needs of a given individual.

The difference between deprivation and frustration

Concept deprivation in content-psychological terms it is related, but not identical to the concept " frustration". Compared to the latter, deprivation is a significantly more severe, painful and sometimes personally destructive condition, characterized by a qualitatively higher level of rigidity and stability compared to the frustration reaction. In different circumstances, different needs may be deprived. In this regard, the term deprivation is traditionally considered as a generic a concept that unites a whole class of mental states of a person that arise as a result of a long distance from the sources of satisfaction of a particular need.

Deprivation differs from frustration in that that previously a person did not possess what he is now deprived of. For example, material goods, communication, travel. When frustrated, a person was well aware of the presence in his life of respect, health, food, salary, social benefits, marital fidelity, and living loved ones.

Types of deprivation

In psychology, it is customary to distinguish the following types of deprivation:

• motor,
• sensory,
• maternal,
• social.

Motor deprivation

Motor deprivation is a consequence of a sharp limitation in movements caused either by illness, injury, or such specific living conditions that lead to pronounced chronic physical inactivity.

Psychological (actually personal) deformations, which motor deprivation leads to, are in no way inferior in depth and intractability to overcome, and sometimes even surpass those physiological abnormalities that are a direct consequence of illness or injury.

Sensory deprivation

Sensory deprivation is a consequence of “sensory hunger”, i.e. a mental state caused by the inability to satisfy the most important need for any individual for impressions due to the limitation of visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory and other stimuli. The deprivation situation here can be generated, on the one hand, by certain individual physical disabilities, and on the other, by a complex of extreme circumstances of the subject’s life activity that prevent adequate “sensory saturation.”

In psychology, such conditions are described using the term “poor environment.” A mental state traditionally designated by the concept of “social deprivation”.

Social deprivation

Social deprivation is a consequence, for one reason or another, of a violation of an individual’s contacts with society. Such violations are always associated with the fact of social isolation, the degree of severity of which can be different, which in turn determines the degree of severity of the deprivation situation. At the same time, social isolation in itself does not fatally predetermine social deprivation.

Moreover, in a number of cases, especially if social isolation is voluntary (for example, monks, hermits, sectarians moving to remote, hard-to-reach places), such “social retreat” of an internally rich, spiritually stable, mature personality not only does not lead to the emergence deprivation syndrome, but also stimulates the qualitative personal growth of the individual.

When a person is deprived of the most basic needs of life, he falls into a state of deprivation. Let's try to figure out how the human body reacts to such deprivations.

Deprivation is a negative mental state caused by deprivation of the opportunity to satisfy the most basic needs of life. Some people also include ordinary life needs in this concept, but perhaps this is not entirely correct. If a person spent a lot of time in front of a computer on the Internet and was deprived of it for several days, his condition not only will not worsen, but will also improve. Since this is an acquired need, it is not deep and cannot be considered vital.

There are many types of deprivation, let's look at the most common ones.

Types of deprivation

• Sensory deprivation. This is the complete or partial deprivation of one (or more) sense organs of external stimulation. This could be, for example, a post-operative blindfold or earplugs. Short-term sensory deprivation is used in alternative medicine, while long-term sensory deprivation leads to catastrophic consequences.
• Social deprivation. The individual's inability or desire to communicate with other people. Such deprivation can be voluntary (going to the mountains or a cave, placing oneself in a barrel) or forced (for example, placing a person in a solitary prison cell). A person develops many diseases and psychotic disorders.
• Sleep deprivation. Full or partial satisfaction of the need for - as a result of his disorder, conscious choice or forced (during interrogation and torture). The first sign of sleep deprivation is hallucinations. And if at first a person understands that he is hallucinating, then after some time he believes what is happening. Perhaps this is the most terrible type of deprivation, its manifestations affect the entire body: weakening of the immune system, psychosis, tremors of the limbs, memory loss and dozens of others.
• Emotional deprivation. Occurs when a person is deprived of emotional reactions coming from other people. As a result, he loses his own, focusing only on a limited number, which leads to depression.
• Maternal deprivation. Complete or partial and at the same time cool attitude of the mother towards her own child. If the mother leaves the child for a short time, the child may find reasons for this, but when the mother disappears from the child's life for long periods, the situation becomes worse. The child may begin to lag behind in development, lose appetite, become prone to apathy, and then to...
• Motor deprivation. This type of deprivation is also associated with the child. Limiting the space for movement leads to the fact that the child becomes very restless and has difficulty falling asleep.

It should also be said that deprivation can be both obvious and hidden. The obvious one is immediately obvious and even relatives can make a diagnosis, while the hidden one is extremely dangerous. Outwardly, a person looks and behaves normally, but processes occur inside him that are not very clear to him. Such a person is very dangerous, he can cause fatal harm to himself or others.

Consequences of long-term deprivation

Positive consequences have been found only in unconventional methods of treatment, so let’s focus on the negative ones. The first clear sign of deprivation is aggression. It can be external, which is expressed in the manifestation of aggression towards the outside world - surrounding people, animals, objects. Internal aggression is expressed in suicidal thoughts, self-harm (without thoughts of suicide), and somatic illnesses. Trying to drown out the pain, a person tends to take drugs and alcohol, and smoke cigarettes. The worst result of long-term deprivation is somatic diseases and in the initial form this is expressed in the form of irritability, increased conflict, subdepression, insomnia, and after which all this results in life-threatening diseases - stroke, asthma, hypertension, heart attacks.

To some extent, drugs and alcohol actually help a person, which allows them to drown out emotional pain. Aggression is directed inwards when a person is deprived of these dubious “medicines”.

Interestingly, deprivation can temporarily disappear when a serious external threat is involved, for example, a threat to life, war, or serious illness. These external threats trigger survival mechanisms, shift thoughts to a different plane and allow deprivation to be forced out of the body.

Fighting methods

Of course, it is best to provide a person with the benefits that he was deprived of, but not everything is so simple. In many cases, the help of a psychotherapist is required, because prolonged deprivation could cause incredible mental harm to the organism. In extreme cases, drug treatment will be needed. High is also required because it triggers internal survival mechanisms. Creative activities, which in themselves have a therapeutic effect, are also suitable.

Stimuli of different modalities are extremely effective (if it is sensory deprivation). Exercises, games, reading, variety in food,... Social contacts with relatives, friends, and acquaintances are suitable for treating social deprivation. Children who are not yet prepared to spend time without their father and mother suffer the most from this type of deprivation. The child must understand and accept his social role, realize his goals and values ​​(or at least join them).

Computer games play a significant role in the development of various types of deprivation. Harmless and even useful in reasonable quantities, with an unlimited amount of time spent on them, the most terrible things can happen to a person. There is a known case where a teenager died of hunger because he spent about five days at the computer, without even realizing that he needed to eat and that he wanted it.

Remember that in reasonable doses you can afford almost anything, even deprivation of any kind.

What types of deprivation do you know? Leave your comments.

We are all social creatures. Each person belongs to a specific social group. Developing normally, a child communicates with parents, peers and other children and adults, and his basic needs are met. If physical or difficult, then such a child’s communication will suffer, therefore, he will not be able to communicate his needs and will not receive their satisfaction. But there are situations when, seemingly normal, there is a limitation of personal contacts and other needs. This phenomenon is called “deprivation”. In psychology, this concept is considered very carefully. A deprived personality cannot live and develop harmoniously. What does this concept mean and what types of deprivation are there? Let's figure it out.

What is deprivation in psychology?

In psychology, deprivation means a certain mental state in which a person cannot satisfy his basic needs. This also occurs in the case of depriving a person of any benefits to which he is already very accustomed. It should be noted that this state does not arise for all rejected needs. There are a large number of desires and aspirations of a person, but if he does not achieve them, there is no significant damage to his personal structure. What is important here is the satisfaction of vital needs and requirements. In psychology, deprivation is not any deviation from a person’s usual life activities. This state is a deep experience.

The difference between frustration and deprivation

These two concepts are close in meaning, but are not identical. Frustration is considered in science as a reaction to a personal stimulus. A person can feel sad, withdraw into himself for several hours or even days after some stressful situation, then return to normal life. Deprivation in psychology is a much more severe and painful condition. It can have a destructive effect on a person. It differs from frustration in intensity, duration and severity. Deprivation can combine several unmet needs at once; in this case, various types of this condition are observed.

What causes deprivation?

There are certain internal causes of deprivation. This condition affects people who, for some reason, have an internal vacuum of values. What does deprivation have to do with this? In psychology, this condition and many others are interconnected. After all, personality is holistic in its versatility. If a person has been alone for a long time, in prison, in a sick state, he loses the ability to follow all the norms, rules and values ​​of society. As a result, his concepts do not coincide with the hierarchy of values ​​of the people around him, and an intrapersonal vacuum arises. He cannot be in this state all the time, since life goes on and a person needs to adapt to its course and the demands that society places on him. As a result, the individual stands on the path to the formation of new ideals on the basis of an already destroyed hierarchy of needs and values.

Deprivation in human psychology has long been considered by scientists in search of methods to neutralize it. After all, such feelings as deprivation, hopelessness, a sense of lost personal dignity and others do not bring positive aspects for personal development.

What are the types of this concept?

Deprivation in Russian psychology is of three types:

• emotional;
• sensory;
• social.

These are the main types of deprivation, but in reality there are many more. Probably, as many suppressed and unsatisfied needs exist, there are as many types of this condition. But many of them are identical in their manifestation. In mental terms, deprivation is, in psychology, sensations such as fear, constant anxiety, loss of vital activity, one’s own life and those around you, prolonged depression, outbursts of aggression.

But despite the similarity of sensations and experiences, the degree of immersion of the individual in this state is different for everyone. This depends on a person’s resistance to stress, the degree of hardening of his psyche, as well as on the power of the deprivation effect on the individual. But just as there are compensatory capabilities of the human brain at the physiological level, the same property of the psyche manifests itself. When other human needs are fully satisfied, the deprivation state regarding one unsatisfied one will be less intense.

Emotional deprivation in psychology

It happens that this condition arises due to unexpressed emotions when a person is completely or partially deprived of various emotional reactions. Most often it is a lack of attention from other people. This condition rarely occurs in adults, but the psychology of childhood deprivation pays quite a lot of attention to this phenomenon. In the absence of love and affection, the child begins to experience the sensations described above. Emotional deprivation is very closely related to maternal deprivation, which we will talk about below.

For adults, much greater destruction is caused by so-called motor deprivation. This is a condition in which a person is limited in his movement due to injury or illness. Sometimes a disease or physical abnormality is not as terrible as a person’s reaction to it. It is very difficult for specialists to return people in this condition to active life.

Sensory deprivation

Sensory deprivation in psychology involves depriving a person of various sensations. Most often, it is provoked artificially to study a person’s ability to withstand difficulties. Such experiments are carried out to train aviation professionals, government power plant workers, intelligence officers, military specialists, and so on.

In most cases, such experiments are carried out by immersing a person to depth in a box or other limited device. When a person spends a long time in this state, a state of mental instability is observed: lethargy, low mood, apathy, which after a short time are replaced by irritability and excessive excitability.

Social deprivation

Deprivation manifests itself in different ways in psychology. Various groups of society are also susceptible to this condition. There are societies or social groups that deliberately deprive themselves of communication with the outside world. But this is not as scary as complete social deprivation for one person. All members of youth organizations, sects and national minorities who have separated themselves from society at least communicate with each other. Such people do not have irreversible effects on their psyche caused by social deprivation. The same cannot be said about long-term prisoners in solitary confinement or people who have experienced psychotic disorders.

Being alone with oneself for a long time, a person gradually loses social communication skills and interest in other people. There are also cases where a person stopped speaking because he forgot the sound of his voice and the meaning of words. Social deprivation can also affect people who are sick and can become infected. Therefore, there is a law on non-disclosure of such diagnoses.

Maternal deprivation - what is it?

Phenomena such as deprivation are studied quite carefully, since the consequences of such a condition for an immature personality can be detrimental. When an adult feels uncomfortable, bad and lonely. In a child it evokes emotions that are much more intense than those listed. Children are like receptive sponges that absorb negativity much faster and stronger than adults.

A clear example of maternal deprivation is hospitalism. This is the state of loneliness of a child due to his separation from his mother. This syndrome began to be noticed especially strongly after the war in the 50s, when there were many orphans. Even with good care and proper feeding, children experienced a revitalization complex much later; they began to walk and talk late, they had much more problems with physical and mental development than those who were raised in families. After this phenomenon, experts noted that deprivation in the psychology of children entails great changes in the psyche. Therefore, methods to overcome it began to be developed.

Consequences of deprivation in children

We have already decided that the main types of deprivation in the psychology of children are emotional and maternal. This condition has a detrimental effect on the child's brain development. He grows up unsmart, deprived of a sense of confidence in love, support and recognition. Such a child smiles and shows emotions much less often than his peers. Its development slows down, and dissatisfaction with life and oneself forms. To prevent this condition, psychologists have determined that a child needs to be hugged, kissed, stroked and supported (patted on the shoulder or arm) at least 8 times a day.

How does deprivation affect the behavior of adults?

Deprivation in the psychology of adults can arise on the basis of a long-standing childhood or due to unmet needs of adulthood. In the first case, the harmful effects on the psyche will be much stronger and more destructive. Sometimes when working with such adults, specialists feel powerless. In the second case, behavior correction is possible by searching for ways to satisfy a deprived need. A person can get out of a state of self-dislike, apathy and depression with the help of a specialist.

The mechanism of action of various types of deprivation on a person’s personality

Elena Gennadievna Alekseenkova:
Personality under conditions of mental deprivation

Introduction

For full mental development and functioning, a person needs an influx of various stimuli: sensory, emotional, cognitive, etc. Their deficiency leads to adverse consequences for the psyche.

The problem of deprivation has historically been studied in relation to children raised in residential institutions. The lag in the development of such children, observed in a number of parameters, was associated primarily with the impoverishment of the emotional environment due to a lack of communication with a close adult. Such emotional deprivation was considered a negative factor in development. Today, this phenomenon is considered much more widely.

Almost all people experience deprivation, and much more often than it might seem at first glance. Depression, neuroses, somatic diseases, excess weight... Often the roots of such problems are associated with a lack of bright colors in a person’s life, lack of emotional communication, information, etc. But the true causes of violations often remain unidentified.

It is known that a condition for normal mental development is communication with people. Examples of “Mowgli’s children” confirm this. But what are the consequences of social isolation for the psyche of an adult? Is deprivation always associated with specific, extreme situations? Research shows that this phenomenon is much more common than it seems, especially in modern society. People who live in a big city and have many social contacts may experience social deprivation.

The difficulty in recognizing deprivation is that it is often hidden and appears under different masks. In such cases, they even use a special term - “masked deprivation”. Against the backdrop of outwardly favorable living conditions, a person may experience internal discomfort associated with the inability to satisfy the needs that are significant to him. Such a long-term psychotraumatic situation can lead to neurosis, etc. Moreover, the real causes of disorders often remain hidden not only from the environment, but also from the person himself.

Understanding the phenomenon of deprivation allows us to better see the sources of many psychological problems and, therefore, ways to solve them.

Recently, works devoted to certain types of deprivation have appeared. Thus, researchers of “educational deprivation”, studying the reasons for children’s negative attitude towards school, pose the question as follows: what most important needs are blocked in an educational institution?

One of the “classical” psychological problems is the problem of meaning. Why does a person wonder about the meaning of his existence? Why does he sometimes feel disconnected from the whole world, the so-called existential loneliness? What needs are not met in this case? In other words, what are the causes of existential deprivation?

All this shows that the problem of deprivation is broad and multifaceted. Individual studies, as a rule, reflect certain aspects of this phenomenon. Our task is to show the phenomenon of deprivation as a whole, the diversity of its manifestations and at the same time their internal commonality.

The book analyzes both classical studies of deprivation and the works of modern authors concerning its individual aspects. Also considered are those aspects of deprivation that are determined by the specifics of modern society.

Chapter 1. The phenomenon of mental deprivation

1. The concept of deprivation

The term “deprivation” has been actively used in the psychological literature of recent years. However, there is no unity in defining the content of this concept.

The word “deprivation” (from the English deprivation) means deprivation, loss. It is based on the Latin root privare, which means “to separate.” The prefix de in an English word conveys an intensification of the meaning of the root (you can compare: Latin pressare - “press”, “press” and English depression - “depression”, “suppression”).

In English-language literature, the concept of “deprivation” (deprivation, or correspondingly privation) means the loss of something, deprivation due to insufficient satisfaction of any important need. In this case, we are not talking about physical deprivation, but about insufficient satisfaction of mental needs (mental deprivation).

J. Langmeyer and Z. Matejcek give the following definition:

“Mental deprivation is a mental state that arises as a result of such life situations where the subject is not given the opportunity to satisfy some of his basic (life) mental needs in sufficient measure and for a sufficiently long time.”

At the same time, among the “basic (vital)” needs, the authors include:

1) the need for a certain quantity, variability and type (modality) of stimuli;

2) the need for basic conditions for effective teaching;

3) the need for primary social ties (especially with the mother), ensuring the possibility of effective basic integration of the individual;

4) the need for social self-realization, which provides the opportunity to master various social roles and value goals.

When defining deprivation, an analogy is often drawn between mental and biological impairment. Just as serious disorders arise as a result of nutritional deficiency, lack of vitamins, oxygen, etc., serious disorders can also arise in the case of mental deficiency - deficiency of love, stimulation, social contacts. Thus, D. Hebb defines deprivation as a biologically adequate, but psychologically limited environment.

The concept of deprivation is close to the concept of frustration. However, they are not identical.

Frustration is defined as a mental state caused by failure to satisfy a need and accompanied by various negative experiences: disappointment, irritation, anxiety, despair, etc.

Thus, frustration, firstly, concerns a need that is actualized at the moment and already directed towards a goal, and secondly, it is characterized by the subject’s awareness of the impossibility of satisfying it.

Deprivation may be partially or even completely unrecognized for some time. Its negative consequences can be associated with a variety of reasons. Thus, a person may not associate, for example, depression with a deficit of sensory stimuli.

Thus, unlike frustration, deprivation acts more covertly, but often has more serious consequences.

J. Langmeyer and Z. Matejcek draw the following analogy: frustration occurs if a child is taken away from his favorite toy and he is forced to play with what he likes less, and deprivation occurs if the child is deprived of the opportunity to play at all.

A. Maslow, in the context of comparing these concepts, identifies two types of deprivation: deprivation of non-basic needs and threatening deprivation. The first is easily replaced and does not cause serious consequences for the body. The second is considered as a threat to the individual, that is, as deprivation that threatens an individual’s life goals, his self-esteem, and impedes self-actualization - in a word, prevents the satisfaction of basic needs.

Externally, the same situation, Maslow continues, can have different consequences and lead to deprivation of either one or another type. So, if a child who was not bought ice cream feels first of all disappointment that he has lost the pleasure of eating it, then such deprivation can hardly be considered threatening and have serious consequences. If the refusal is perceived by the child as a refusal of love, that is, ice cream is a carrier of certain psychological values, then such deprivation is considered as frustrating. Thus, deprivation can have serious consequences for the individual when the target object is a symbol of love, prestige, respect, or another basic need.

Children who constantly feel the love and care of their parents, children who have formed a basic sense of trust in the world, can quite easily endure cases of deprivation, a disciplinary regime, etc., they do not perceive them as a fundamental threat, as a threat to their main, basic needs

The concepts of “separation” and “isolation” are close to the concept of “deprivation”. The latter rather denote a deprivation situation, a condition of deprivation. Mental deprivation is characterized by a special condition that arises in a deprivation situation. In this regard, we can say that under the same conditions of isolation, the nature of mental deprivation of each person will largely be determined by the individual characteristics of the individual, in particular the significance of those needs that are suppressed. People who find themselves isolated from society will experience this situation differently, and its consequences for their psyche will also be different.

2. Types of deprivation

Types of deprivation are usually distinguished depending on what need is not being satisfied.

J. Langmeyer and Z. Matejcek analyze four types of mental deprivation.

1. Stimulus (sensory) deprivation: reduced number of sensory stimuli or their limited variability and modality.

2. Deprivation of meaning (cognitive): too changeable, chaotic structure of the external world without clear ordering and meaning, which does not make it possible to understand, anticipate and regulate what is happening from the outside.

3. Deprivation of emotional relationship (emotional): insufficient opportunity to establish an intimate emotional relationship with a person or the severance of such an emotional connection, if one has already been created.

4. Identity deprivation (social): limited opportunity to acquire an autonomous social role.

Sensory deprivation is sometimes described by the concept of an “impoverished environment,” that is, an environment in which a person does not receive a sufficient amount of visual, auditory, tactile and other stimuli. Such an environment can accompany the development of a child and also be included in the life situations of an adult.

Cognitive (information) deprivation prevents the creation of adequate models of the surrounding world. If there is no necessary information, ideas about the connections between objects and phenomena, a person creates “imaginary connections” (according to I.P. Pavlov), he develops false beliefs.

Both children and adults can experience emotional deprivation. In relation to children, the concept of “maternal deprivation” is sometimes used, emphasizing the important role of the emotional connection between the child and mother; disruption or deficiency of this connection leads to a number of mental health problems in the child.

Social deprivation is interpreted quite broadly in the literature. It is faced by children living or studying in closed institutions, adults who, for one reason or another, are isolated from society or have limited contact with other people, elderly people after retirement, etc.

In life, different types of deprivation are intricately intertwined. Some of them may be combined, one may be a consequence of the other, etc.

In addition to those mentioned above, there are other types of deprivation. For example, a person experiences motor deprivation when there are restrictions in movement (as a result of injury, illness or other cases). Such deprivation, although not directly mental, nevertheless has a strong impact on the mental state of a person. This fact has been repeatedly recorded during relevant experiments. Motor deprivation also affects mental development. In particular, in developmental psychology, evidence has been obtained that the development of movements in childhood is one of the factors in the formation of the “image of the self.”

In modern psychology and related humanities, there are certain types of deprivation that are of a generalized nature or associated with individual aspects of human existence in society: educational, economic, ethical deprivation, etc.

In addition to types, there are various forms of manifestation of deprivation, which in form can be obvious or hidden.

Explicit deprivation is obvious: a person’s stay in conditions of social isolation, prolonged loneliness, raising a child in an orphanage, etc. This is a visible deviation from the norm (in the cultural understanding).

Hidden deprivation (also partial, according to J. Bowlby; masked, according to G. Harlow) is not so obvious. It occurs under externally favorable conditions, which, however, do not provide the opportunity to satisfy the needs that are significant to a person. Thus, J. Bowlby writes that partial deprivation can be observed where there is no direct separation of mother and child, but their relationship for some reason is unsatisfactory for the child.

Hidden deprivation is currently attracting special attention from researchers. Its source may be in the family, school, various social institutions, or society as a whole.

Thus, deprivation is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that relates to various spheres of human life.

Chapter 2. Sensory and motor deprivation

1. Sensory deprivation studies in animals

Cases of sensory deprivation in relation to animals have been known since ancient times.

Thus, the legislator of Ancient Sparta, Lycurgus, conducted the following experiment. He placed two puppies of the same litter in a pit, and raised the other two in the wild in communication with other dogs. When the dogs grew up, he released several hares in the presence of a large number of people. The puppy, raised in the wild, rushed after the hare, caught and strangled it. The puppy, raised in complete isolation, cowardly began to run away from the hares.

Later experiments conducted by scientists with animals confirmed the influence of a deficit of sensory stimuli on development.

One of the first experiments studying the effects of various rearing conditions on the mental development of experimental animals was carried out in the laboratory of D. Hebb at McGill University in the 50s. XX century .

The rats were divided into two groups. One group of animals was raised in laboratory cages. The second group of animals grew up at Hebb's home under the care of his two daughters. These rats spent a significant portion of their time moving around the house and playing with the girls. After a few weeks, the “pet” rats were returned to the laboratory and compared with animals raised in a cage. It turned out that “domestic” rats coped significantly better with tasks related to finding workarounds and completing a maze than rodents raised in the laboratory.

The results of Hebb's experiments were confirmed in other studies. For example, in experiments conducted over a number of years by employees of the University of California (M. Rosenzweig, M. Diamond, etc.).

The rats (carefully selected by type, age and sex) were divided into two groups.

The first group was kept from the 25th to the 105th day after the cessation of maternal feeding in an enriched environment, that is, 10-12 animals in a spacious cage equipped with complex stimulating equipment: stairs, carousels, boxes, etc. From approximately the 30th day the animals also practiced in a number of labyrinths.

The second group, unlike the first, was kept in a depleted tactile-kinetic environment, in isolated cages without the opportunity to see or touch another animal, as well as with minimal sensory stimulation.

In addition, some of the animals were kept under average standard conditions (third group).

Although the authors set out to identify only the biochemical consequences of various early experiences, without assuming the presence of anatomical changes, it turned out that pronounced changes were present in the mass of the cerebral cortex. Its total weight in animals from an enriched environment was approximately 4% higher than in deprived animals. Moreover, in the first, the cortex was also distinguished by a greater thickness of gray matter and a larger diameter of capillaries. Further experiments showed that the weight of a particular part of the brain changes depending on different sensory enrichment.

Explaining the results of such experiments, Hebb writes that in an enriched environment, high sensory diversity makes it possible for animals to create a larger number of structurally complex neural circuits. Once formed, the neural circuits are subsequently used in learning. Insufficient sensory experience in a deprived environment limits the number of neural connections or even delays their formation. Therefore, animals raised in a low-stimulating environment cope worse with solving the tasks assigned to them. The results of such studies allow us to draw a similar conclusion about humans: the rich sensory experience of a child in the early stages of development increases the level of organization of neural networks and creates conditions for effective interaction with the environment.

2. Sensory deprivation in humans and its consequences

A. Empirical evidence of sensory deprivation

There is now a wealth of empirical evidence about how sensory deficits affect people. In particular, numerous facts of changes in the state of consciousness of pilots during long flights are described. Pilots perceive the loneliness and monotony of the environment as depressing. The situation is aggravated if the flight passes over absolutely monotonous terrain. One pilot described his experience of flying inside Antarctica: “Imagine sitting next to a running engine in a room and staring at a well-whitened ceiling for hours.”

Indicative in this regard are the results of an analysis of the experience of polar researchers who live for months in a monotonous environment of snowy expanses. Visual perception is limited mainly to white tones. The background sound is deep silence or the noise of a snowstorm. The smell of earth and plants is unknown there. Doctors at Arctic and Antarctic stations point out that as the length of stay in expeditionary conditions increases, polar explorers experience an increase in general weakness, anxiety, isolation, and depression.

The polar night has a particularly severe impact on the psyche. According to research, neuropsychiatric morbidity in the Far North is several orders of magnitude higher compared to the temperate and southern regions of Russia. In one of the experiments, data were obtained showing that 41.2% of the surveyed residents of Norilsk living in polar night conditions had increased anxiety and tension, and 43.2% experienced a decrease in mood with a hint of depression.

When studying the effect of darkness on the mental state, it was revealed that healthy people working in darkened rooms in film factories, photo studios, in the printing industry, etc., often develop neurotic conditions, expressed in the appearance of irritability, tearfulness, sleep disorders, fears, depression and hallucinations.

Examples of painful sensations associated with an unchanging environment are also given by astronauts and submariners. The cabins of spaceships and submarine compartments are filled with the uniform noise of operating power plants. At certain periods, there is complete silence in the submarine or spaceship, broken by the faint, monotonous noise of operating equipment and fans.

An interesting fact is that the ensuing silence is perceived not as a deprivation of something, but as a strongly pronounced impact. They begin to “hear” the silence.

B. Experimental studies of sensory deprivation

In psychology, a number of attempts have been made to mimic sensory deprivation. At McGill University, the staff of D. Hebb in 1957 organized and carried out the following experiment.

A group of college students were paid $20 a day to do nothing. All they had to do was lie on a comfortable bed with a translucent blindfold over their eyes, which allowed them to see diffused light, but did not make it possible to clearly distinguish objects. Through headphones, the experiment participants constantly heard a slight noise. The fan hummed monotonously in the room. The subjects' hands were covered with cotton gloves and cardboard sleeves that protruded beyond the fingertips and minimized tactile stimulation. After just a few hours of being in such isolation, purposeful thinking became difficult, it was impossible to concentrate attention on anything, and suggestibility became increased. The mood ranged from extreme irritation to mild amusement. The subjects felt incredibly bored, dreaming of any stimulus, and having received it, they felt unable to respond, complete the task, or did not want to make any effort for this. The ability to solve simple mental problems decreased noticeably, and this decrease continued for another 12-24 hours after the end of isolation. Although every hour of isolation was paid, most students were unable to withstand such conditions for more than 72 hours. Those who stayed longer tended to have vivid hallucinations and delusions.

Another experimental situation involving a high degree of deprivation is the “isolation bath” of J. Lilly.

The subjects, equipped with a breathing apparatus with an opaque mask, were completely immersed in a tank of warm, slowly flowing water, where they were in a free, “weightless” state, trying, according to the instructions, to move as little as possible. Under these conditions, after approximately 1 hour, the subjects began to experience internal tension and intense sensory hunger. After 2-3 hours, visual hallucinatory experiences arose, which partially persisted after the end of the experiment. Severe cognitive impairment and stress reactions were observed. Many abandoned the experiment ahead of schedule.

At Harvard University in 1956, an experiment was conducted using an “iron lung” device, a respirator used for bulbar polio. Healthy volunteers (students, doctors) spent up to 36 hours in this respirator with the taps open and the motor running, which produced a monotonous hum. From the respirator they could see only a small part of the ceiling, the cylindrical couplings interfered with tactile and kinesthetic sensations, and the subjects were very limited in motor terms. Only 5 out of 17 people were able to stay on the respirator for 36 hours. All subjects had difficulty concentrating and periodic states of anxiety, eight had difficulty assessing reality (from pseudosomatic delusions to real visual or auditory hallucinations), four fell into an anxious panic and actively sought to get out of the respirator.

All experiments demonstrate generally similar phenomena, confirming that the need for sensory stimulation from a diverse environment is a fundamental need of the body. In the absence of such stimulation, mental activity is impaired and personality disorders arise.

B. About the mechanisms of sensory deprivation

There is no single explanation for the mechanisms of sensory deprivation in psychology. When studying them, different aspects of this phenomenon are usually considered.

Hebb writes that if events in a person’s life were recorded at the neurophysiological level, they should continue to accompany the person’s life. If previously normal sensory events no longer occur, the person experiences intense and unpleasant arousal, which is perceived as stress, fear, or disorientation. Thus, environmental events are not only necessary for the emergence of certain neural circuits. The same events further support these neural connections.

In the context of cognitive theory, it is assumed that the limited supply of stimuli makes it difficult to build cognitive models through which a person interacts with the environment. If deprivation occurs in childhood, then the creation of such models becomes impossible. In the case when deprivation occurs later, their preservation, regulation, and adjustment are at risk, which prevents the creation of an adequate image of the environment.

In psychoanalytically oriented research, more attention is paid to the emotional aspect of sensory deprivation. A situation of isolation usually implies a dark room, closed eyes, bandaged hands, satisfaction of needs only with the help of another (the experimenter), etc. Thus, the subject seems to return to the situation of infancy; his need for dependence is reinforced, regressive behavior is provoked, including regressive fantasies.

There is evidence that subjects' reports of visual hallucinations can vary significantly depending on the type of instruction (for example: “Describe everything you see, all your visual impressions” or only: “Give a report about your experiences”). Such results are explained by the fact that the human condition is influenced not only by the deficit of stimuli as such, but also by internal (organic) stimuli, and also, possibly, by residual external ones, which the subject notes under the influence of directed attention caused by instructions. Consequently, the manifestations of sensory deprivation themselves (and their descriptions) can be very different depending on a number of factors that are implicit at first glance.

In general, according to J. Langmeyer and Z. Matejcek, there are so many variables that exert their influence in experiments with sensory deprivation and their influence is so difficult to discern that the explanation of the mechanisms of their action remains in most cases unclear and can be described only partially.

D. Consequences of sensory deprivation

General consequences

A number of studies have described the characteristics of the behavior and mental states of people who find themselves in situations of sensory deprivation. In this case, the consequences can be divided into general and specific, associated with the individual characteristics of the subject.

The phenomenology of the described phenomena is quite extensive and cannot be reduced to a single system. When studying the effects of sensory deprivation, you can refer to M. Zuckerman’s classification, which includes:

1) disturbances in the direction of thinking and the ability to concentrate;

2) “capture” of thinking by fantasies and daydreams;

3) time orientation disorder;

4) illusions and deceptions of perception;

5) anxiety and need for activity;

6) unpleasant somatic sensations, headaches, pain in the back, in the back of the head, in the eyes;

7) delusional ideas similar to paranoid ones;

8) hallucinations;

9) anxiety and fear;

10) focusing on residual stimuli;

11) a number of other reactions, including complaints of claustrophobia, boredom, and special physical needs.

However, this classification does not exhaust the description of all the consequences of sensory deprivation. The explanations of various authors also do not give a single picture. However, these are the general consequences that are most often cited.

Changes in the emotional sphere

Many researchers consider changes in the experience and expression of emotions to be one of the main characteristics of a person’s state under conditions of sensory (as well as other types) deprivation.

J. W. Fasing identifies two patterns of change.

The first is an increase in emotional reactivity, emotional lability with a general decrease in the emotional background (the appearance of fear, depression). In this case, people react more sharply to events than under normal conditions.

Thus, peculiar disorders with symptoms of anxiety and fear were described among Greenland fishermen during fishing season in good weather (still sea and clear sky without clouds), especially when they maintained the same position for a long time, trying to fix their gaze on the float.

During such changes, environmental events are perceived extremely acutely due to a sharp decrease in tolerance to stressful influences. Overall emotional sensitivity increases significantly. Emotional lability also leads to the appearance of inadequate positive emotions: subjects sometimes report experiences of pleasure and even euphoria, especially at some stages of the experiment.

Acute mental reactions of exiting the situation of an experiment on strict sensory deprivation (in particular, in a soundproof chamber) are described.

Immediately after the end of the experiments, the subjects experienced the appearance of euphoria and motor hyperactivity, accompanied by animated facial expressions and pantomimes. A significant portion of the subjects were distinguished by their obsessive desire to engage in conversation with others. They joked a lot and laughed at their own witticisms, and in an environment that was not entirely suitable for the manifestation of such gaiety. During this period, there was increased impressionability. Moreover, each new impression seemed to cause forgetting of the previous one and switched attention to a new object (“jumping” attention).

Similar emotional disturbances have been observed in animals.

In P. Riesen's studies in cats, dogs and monkeys, at the end of long-term experiments with strict sensory deprivation, pronounced emotional arousal was observed, reaching the point of convulsions. In his opinion, emotional disorders in animals during the period of readaptation are the result of a sudden intense sensory influx of stimuli.

The second pattern of changes, according to J.V. Fasing, is the opposite - people stop reacting to events that were previously emotionally significant, they lose interest in past activities and hobbies.

Thus, according to one of the participants in the Antarctic expedition, R. Priestley, his colleagues, people who are usually very active and energetic, spent their time absolutely inactive: lying in bags, not reading or even talking; They dozed or indulged in their thoughts all day long.

Another option for emotional transformation is a change in the emotional attitude towards events, facts - even the opposite. What previously caused a positive attitude can now even cause disgust. People may be annoyed by their favorite music, flowers, and they refuse to meet with friends.

V.I. Lebedev describes the reaction of subjects to watching horror films: if under normal conditions such films would cause fear or disgust, then in this case they caused laughter. The author explains such a paradoxical reaction by the fact that the actual difficulties of the experiment were incomparably more significant for the subjects than the events shown on the screen.

Disorders of voluntary attention and goal-directed thinking

Under conditions of sensory deprivation, the organization of cognitive activity is often disrupted. In this case, first of all, higher mental functions suffer: verbal-logical thinking, indirect memorization, voluntary attention, speech.

Thus, there is evidence that prisoners, after several years of complete isolation, forgot how to speak or spoke with great difficulty; sailors who were alone for a long time on uninhabited islands had a decrease in the level of abstract thinking, weakened speech function, and memory deterioration.

The main reason for this disorder is the lack of organized and purposeful cognitive activity.

A. Ludwig believes that in such situations, archaic modes of thinking begin to dominate, associated with the weakening of the so-called reality check, unclear distinctions between cause and effect, ambivalence of thinking, and decreased sensitivity to logical contradictions.

According to L. S. Vygotsky, genetically earlier types of consciousness are preserved in humans as adjustments, in a “sublated” form in leading forms and can, under certain circumstances, come to the fore. This phenomenon is probably observed under conditions of sensory deprivation.

Changes in perceptual processes

In a number of experiments, as well as after their conclusion, phenomena of distortion of perceived objects were discovered: violations of the constancy of shape, size, color, the appearance of spontaneous movement in the visible field, and the absence of three-dimensional perception. It might seem to the subjects that the walls of the room were expanding or moving, oscillating in waves, or bending.

Similar phenomena are observed in pilots - disorientation and altered perception of the aircraft's position (the plane seems to have turned over, stopped or tilted) - during flights at night, in clouds or in a straight line (when almost no activity is required from the pilot).

Perceptual distortion is typical in situations of deprivation. It can lead to unusual images and sensations.

Other effects of sensory deprivation

Activating the imagination in a situation of sensory deprivation can also have “positive” consequences - in the form of increased creativity.

In the sound chamber experiments, almost all the subjects reported a need for creative self-expression: they recited their favorite poems by heart, sang, made various models and toys from wood and scrap materials, wrote stories and poems. Some were surprised to discover that they had previously lacked the ability to draw and write literature. At the same time, those who managed to realize the need for creativity had “unusual” mental states much less often than those who did nothing during rest hours.

The question of the quality of creative products created in this way remains open. On the one hand, the general level of cognitive activity in such conditions decreases.

On the other hand, in a situation of isolation a person is not distracted by external factors, he can concentrate on one idea. It is known that many writers, artists, composers strive for solitude when creating their works.

It is interesting that some prisoners begin to engage in literary creativity without having previously had such experience. So, O'Henry, while behind bars, began writing his stories, which later made him a famous writer.

At the same time, sensory deprivation also provokes “false” creativity.

The feeling of a “brilliant discovery.” A person may develop a feeling of over-significance of some idea. V.I. Lebedev writes:

“While subject B. was in the soundproofing chamber, it was noticed that he spent a lot of time making notes, drawing something and making some measurements, the meaning of which was unclear to the experimenters. After the end of the experiment, B. presented a “scientific work” on 147 pages: text, drawings and mathematical calculations. Based on the materials contained in this “scientific work”, the subject’s report on the experiment was built. “Trud” and the message were devoted to dust issues. The reason for the work done was the lint falling out of the lint track located in the chamber. B. studied the quantity, distribution paths, circulation, circulation of dust, the dependence of its presence on the time of day, fan operation and others factors. Although the subject was an engineer, his “work” was a set of naive generalizations and hasty illogical conclusions.”

Under normal conditions, a person is constantly in a social environment that directly or indirectly corrects his behavior and activities. When social corrections cease to affect a person, he is forced to independently regulate his activity. Not everyone successfully copes with this test.

Another reason is a change in the significance of the event, giving a new meaning to facts and phenomena (described above).

Changing the perception of time. Under conditions of sensory deprivation, the assessment of time intervals is often impaired. Examples of this are presented in the results of various experiments.

In one of these experiments, in a situation of a long solitary stay in a cave, one of the study participants, when assessing the elapsed time, “laged behind” by 25 days over a period of 59 days, another by 88 days over a period of 181 days, and a third by 25 over a period of 130 days. (he already knew about possible violations of time estimation, so he made some corrections).

Thus, people tend to underestimate large time intervals.

The perception of small intervals may vary. In various experiments, people took 10-second periods of time to be 9, 8, or even 7 seconds; in another case, evaluating an interval of 2 minutes took 3-4 minutes of real time. That is, both overestimation and underestimation of temporary segments were observed.

The explanation for these phenomena may be as follows. One of the mechanisms for assessing time intervals is to refer to one’s own physiological processes. Researchers have found that when external time cues are removed, physiological processes initially continue to follow a 24-hour circadian rhythm. But then it breaks down. A person can come, for example, to a 48-hour or 28-hour rhythm. But they are not sustainable either. At the same time, the need for daytime sleep often appears. Physiological processes are significantly inconsistent. For example, the period of sleep is no longer accompanied by a drop in body temperature, a decrease in heart rate, etc.

Thus, the “internal biological clock” is largely determined by the “external” one and cannot be a reliable guide in assessing time in the absence of the latter.

Disruption of the biological rhythm is associated with other specific consequences of the situation of sensory hunger: changes in sleep and wakefulness.

The activities of specialists in a number of professions - pilots, astronauts, drivers, train drivers and many others - take place in enclosed spaces and cabins. Naturally, the flow of stimuli from the external environment is significantly limited. In this case, not only sensory, but also motor deprivation occurs. In addition, control rooms and operator cabins are usually filled with the quiet hum of instruments. The unfavorable effect of a monotonous environment is sometimes enhanced by monotonous stimulation of the vestibular apparatus - rocking, which contributes to the development of hypnotic phases and deep sleep. Often, accidents that occur due to the fault of drivers and machinists are precisely associated with a loss of vigilance as a result of hypnotic states.

"Night. The flight attendant saw the moon through the window, which soon disappeared from view. Suddenly, to her amazement, she again sees the moon floating behind the porthole. While she was wondering, “What could it be?”, the moon appeared through the window for the third time! She ran into the cockpit and found... the entire crew sleeping. Within half an hour, the DC-6 plane was flying to Bahrain , performed large circles over the Mediterranean Sea. There was a clear influence of the monotonous environment, when the pilots only followed the instrument readings. This story took place in 1955. Much has changed in aviation since then. However, the problem of pilots sleeping at the controls remains.”

There is also evidence that among polar explorers at Arctic and Antarctic stations, among sailors during long ocean voyages, among people working for long periods of time in the dark, insomnia and difficulty falling asleep and waking up are very common.

Such disorders can lead to loss of the ability to distinguish between sleep and wakefulness.

“One day... two policemen brought a frightened, trembling man to the clinic. He said that he was driving a big bus. The replacement did not come, there were many passengers, and he was persuaded to go alone on the daily flight. When entering the city at high speed, he crashed into a column of soldiers. From their scream he went crazy, jumped out of the bus and hid. The policemen shrugged their shoulders in embarrassment and said that the bus did not crush any soldiers. The driver simply fell asleep and saw in his dream what he was most afraid of.”

The subject of P. Suedfeld and R. Borri also dreamed that the experiment was over, he left the chamber, met a friend and talked with him until he was woken up due to the actual completion of the experiment.

V.I. Lebedev believes that the speed of awakening helps a person to distinguish a dream from reality, allowing him to notice the difference between dream images and external impressions. The slow recovery from the sleep state makes it difficult to distinguish between dreams and reality, especially when the dreams are not fantastic, but the most ordinary events.

The emergence of hypnotic states under conditions of sensory deprivation helps to increase the suggestibility and hypnotizability of a person. In experiments by P. Suedfeld and V.G. Beckston, it was demonstrated that subjects can change their point of view on something when receiving a message during deprivation.

For example, during an experiment Bexton presented students who were skeptical about so-called psiphenomena (ghosts, poltergeists) with a series of messages in order to convince them of the reality of these phenomena; subjects under conditions of deprivation showed greater interest and belief in these phenomena compared to those who listened to these messages in a normal environment.

P. Suedfeld explains this situation, on the one hand, by stimulus hunger, which increases interest in any information, on the other hand, by a general decrease in the efficiency of mental activity, which prevents a critical assessment of messages and increases suggestibility.

This phenomenon is actively used in recruitment into various religious sects, one of the tasks of which is to undermine a person’s previous belief system and instill in him new views. Sensory deprivation technique is actively used as one of the techniques.

In conditions of limited sensory stimuli, sometimes quite unusual, “global” disorders occur—depersonalization disorders.

A lack of external stimuli disrupts self-awareness and causes changes in the “body diagram.” A person may feel his body or its individual parts as disturbed, reduced or enlarged, strange, funny, heavy, etc.

Thus, one of the speleologists, during a long solitary stay underground, began to feel very small (“no more than a fly”).

During night flights, pilots sometimes have a feeling of unreality of what is happening.

M. Sifre, during a two-month stay in a cave, looked in the mirror after a long break and did not recognize himself; then he began to observe himself in the mirror every day, feeling the duality and alienation of his own “I”.

V. I. Lebedev describes the phenomenon of split personality in a person crossing the ocean alone:

"D. Slocum says that one day he was poisoned by cheese and could not control the yacht. Having tied the helm, he lay down in the cabin. The onset of the storm caused alarm. When he left the cabin, he “saw” the man at the helm who was steering the yacht: “He was fingering the handles of the steering wheel, squeezing them with strong, vice-like hands... He was dressed like a foreign sailor: a wide red cap hung like a cock’s comb over his left ear , and her face was framed by sideburns. In any part of the world he would have been mistaken for a pirate. Looking at his formidable appearance, I forgot about the storm and thought only about whether the stranger was going to cut my throat; he seemed to guess my thoughts. “Senor,” he said, raising his cap. - I am not going to harm you... I am a free sailor from Columbus's crew. I am the helmsman from the Pinta and have come to help you... Lie down, sir captain, and I will steer your ship all night..."

Lebedev explains the appearance of a double-assistant in D. Slocum by a deep, emotionally charged mood, an experience of an urgent need for outside help. The author connects the very phenomenon of duality with the inherent ability of all people to exteriorize social relationships internalized in the process of ontogenetic development. At the same time, he draws attention to a curious phenomenon: during dualization, what is unpleasant to a person is often exteriorized, to which he treats with fear and disgust (devils, pirates, black people, etc.).

The most characteristic depersonalization disorders also include: a feeling of separation of soul and body, dissolution of the boundaries of the “I” (between oneself and others, oneself and the cosmos).

So, we can say with confidence that sensory deprivation has a serious impact on the functioning of the human psyche, causing a number of pronounced disorders.

At the same time, the described phenomena manifest themselves to different degrees in different people under the same deprivation conditions. This suggests that the degree of severity of certain consequences, the time of their occurrence, the nature of their course, even the very possibility of their occurrence depend on the individual characteristics of the individual.

Individual consequences

The question of the individual consequences of deprivation is interesting in terms of identifying the factors that determine a person’s state in a situation of sensory deprivation.

People's reactions depend largely on prevailing needs, skill systems, defenses and adaptive mechanisms.

There is evidence that in individuals of the extroverted type, disorders are more pronounced than in introverts.

A. Silverman selected six “outwardly oriented” and five “inwardly oriented” student subjects and subjected both groups to two hours of sensory deprivation. He found that the former performed worse on tests of perception, these subjects were more restless and agitated, they had more fantasies and they were more suspicious.

Individual differences in reactions to deprivation situations may also be determined by the peculiarities of the manifestation of the need for stimulation in different people.

In one of the experiments conducted at Princeton University, subjects, while in a swimming chamber, had the opportunity to receive a simple visual stimulus during the experiment. By pressing a switch, they could illuminate a simple line drawing and view it for a short time. Depending on how the subjects used this opportunity, they were divided into those with low endurance and those with significant endurance. The six subjects who were unable to endure the experimental situation for more than 37 hours had an average of 183 seconds of viewing the drawing during the first day. In contrast, nine subjects who remained in the experimental situation for the full 72 hours looked at the drawing for the same amount of time for an average of only 13 seconds.

It can be assumed that a significant factor in “deprivation resistance” is motivation. A person’s focus on solving a problem and willingness to achieve a result increases adaptive capabilities.

Research shows that people with neuropsychic stability generally tolerate situations of sensory (and not only sensory) deprivation more easily. Neurotic people are more likely to experience severe attacks of anxiety and even panic. Individuals of the excitable, unrestrained type demonstrate more vivid forms of post-isolation hypomanic syndrome.

According to the observations of psychotherapists, sensory isolation is experienced more acutely by people with hysteroid-demonstrative accentuation of character. For people of this type, the influx of new impressions, the opportunity to share them with others, and create an atmosphere of “listening and admiring” around themselves is very important. If there are few new impressions, several options for the behavior of the hysteroid are possible.

As a suggestible and impressionable person, he absorbs any information, his criticality to which is further reduced due to the same sensory deprivation. Then he has a strong need to share this information with everyone around him, and in a vividly emotional form, replaying the situation “in colors.” Such people often become alarmists, creating a problem based on their fantasies. At the same time, they do not pursue the goal of intimidating anyone. It’s just that their artistic, artistic nature does not allow them to dryly analyze facts, but builds a whole series of imaginary events that compensate for the lack of real information.

In another case, the hysterical person, experiencing a lack of external stimuli, begins to look for internal ones, that is, listen carefully to his body, look for various diseases and go to the doctors. For him, visiting doctors is a good reason to socialize and get the necessary dose of sensory and emotional stimuli. An option could be a trip to a hairdresser, beauty salon, fitness club, etc. It is known that people sometimes visit such places not so much for a direct purpose, but because of communication, due to a lack of sensory-emotional impressions.

Another common consequence of deprivation, which is typical, however, not only for people with hysteroid-demonstrative accentuation, is overeating and, as a consequence, excess weight. If a person is unable to receive the necessary stimulation, he replaces it with food. Naturally, the fight against excess weight will not be effective if the cause - sensory hunger - is not eliminated.

The study of the individual consequences of sensory deprivation is important both from a theoretical point of view - to identify general patterns of development of deprivation states, and from a practical point of view - for selecting people into various professional groups, including for work in special conditions - expeditions, space flights, etc. .

3. Motor deprivation

People feel the need not only for visual and auditory stimuli, but also for the activation of tactile, temperature, muscle and other receptors.

According to survey data, astronauts who have been in conditions of limited natural motor activity for a long time, after returning to earth, significant physiological changes are recorded: the volume of the heart decreases, the “normal” pattern of the electroencephalogram is disrupted (its teeth become “inverted”, like in patients with a heart attack) , bone density decreases due to the leaching of calcium salts, significant changes in the composition of the blood are recorded. Readaptation of astronauts to Earth gravity usually takes several months.

Experiments to simulate weightlessness through strict bed rest have confirmed that physical inactivity leads to changes in various body systems, although they develop somewhat more slowly than in real weightlessness. Studies have also found that staying in an aquatic environment causes more severe disturbances than staying in bed. When studying experimental physical inactivity, three stages were identified in the development of its consequences.

The first stage (the first few days of the experiment) was characterized by the appearance of adaptive reactions in response to physical inactivity. The subjects' heart rate decreased. There was a feeling of weakness.

At the second stage (about 10 days from the start of the experiment), the pulse increased, blood pressure became unstable and tended to decrease.

The third stage (after 20 days) was characterized by worsening disorders of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Sleep disturbances were observed: falling asleep became delayed (up to three hours), sleep became sensitive, dreams acquired unpleasant content. From the 30th day of the experiment, muscle tone decreased in all subjects, and then atrophy of the lower leg and thigh muscles was observed (flabbiness, a decrease in circumference by 2-3 cm, a sharp decrease in strength, etc.). By the 60th day, an increase in heart rate and a decrease in blood pressure occurred even with minor muscle effort, such as raising one arm. If the subject on the board-bed was transferred to a vertical position, a fainting state with loss of consciousness developed.

It was also found that after the end of the long experiment, there was a clear disintegration of the motor structures when walking, which was expressed in a disturbance in the gait of the subjects.

In experiments on long-term physical inactivity (from 15 to 120 days), mental disorders such as hypochondria, unmotivated fear, and severe depression were noted.

For example, in one of the experiments, the subject suddenly began to refuse to eat certain foods, without giving any reasonable explanation for this, although at other times he enjoyed eating them; It was as if he had developed delusions of poisoning by doctors.

In various experiments with limited motor activity, other pronounced changes in the emotional sphere were also recorded: many subjects became apathetic, lay silently, sometimes deliberately turning away from people, answered questions in monosyllables, sharp mood swings were noted, irritability increased, surrounding events were perceived extremely acutely due to a sharp decrease in tolerance to stressful influences. There was a deterioration in intellectual processes (decreased attention, increased period of speech reaction, difficulty remembering), and a general negative attitude towards mental activity.

Thus, motor deprivation, having pronounced physiological aspects, including those related to motor functions, is in many ways similar in psychological consequences to general sensory deprivation.

Chapter 3. Cognitive deprivation

Cognitive deprivation is understood as a lack of information, as well as its chaotic nature, variability, disorder, which prevents the construction of adequate models of the surrounding world and, therefore, the ability to act productively in it, and also causes a number of certain psychological phenomena.

A lack of information in professional activities leads to mistakes and prevents productive decision-making.

In everyday life, a lack of information not only causes boredom, but also leads to more serious consequences, such as drawing false conclusions about current events or people around us.

Even correct, but insufficiently complete information often does not make it possible to build an objective picture of the situation. The fact is that a person interprets it in accordance with his own personality characteristics, endows it with his own meanings, views it through the prism of personal interest, which often results in false beliefs and assessments, which, in turn, lead to people misunderstanding each other. The lack of adequate information is considered one of the main causes of conflicts in both personal and professional communication.

The influence of information hunger on the psyche is especially pronounced in extreme operating conditions.

Information is conventionally divided into three types:

1) personal, related to one’s own affairs, as well as family or friendly relations;

2) special, having value within certain social groups (for example, professional);

3) mass, transmitted by the media.

In certain conditions of life and activity - at Antarctic stations, in space, on submarines, etc. - people often experience a lack of information of various types. Communication with the “mainland”, as a rule, is limited to certain communication sessions, including laconic business messages.

“As the duration of a submarine’s voyage increases, sailors’ need for information about events at home and in the world, about relatives, etc. increases... The sailors were especially sensitive to “teasing” from their comrades about the infidelity of their wives. The sailors could not get rid of thoughts that their relatives were dying... and some imagined pictures of their girlfriends and wives spending time with their lovers. At the same time, a state of anxiety and depression developed, sleep was disrupted, attention deteriorated and vigilance was lost. drug treatment. When people received the information they were interested in, even negative information (denial of admission to an educational institution, improvement of living conditions, even the message that the girl was friends with another), all neurotic phenomena disappeared completely or were mitigated.”

The subjects who participated in the deaf chamber experiments noted in their reports that they really wanted to know how close relatives and friends lived, what events were happening in the world, and even such seemingly trifles as the weather outside.

Cognitive deprivation can also be more specific.

In interpersonal communication, information exhaustion of partners is possible.

In conditions of constant contact, people may cease to be interesting to each other. This phenomenon is highlighted especially clearly in the same special, extreme conditions of life and activity.

V.I. Lebedev describes the peculiarities of communication between people in closed conditions of work on a submarine: at first, when the crew is formed, the sailors have a desire to get to know each other better, information is exchanged - mainly regarding biographical data; then communication takes on a wider range, events on the ship and in the world, shore leave, movies and TV shows watched, books read, sports news, etc. are jointly discussed; Gradually, sailors begin to exchange information with each other less and less, and interest in communication decreases.

Travelers crossing the ocean in small groups also write in their diaries and reports that after some time after the start of the trip, the interest of the participants in each other decreases significantly. Everyone had already told everything they could and wanted about themselves in the first days. What to talk about?

In conditions of isolation, some groups are developing ways to combat information hunger. For example, reading popular lectures by expedition specialists. There is also a spontaneous replacement of communication partners, which usually begins to occur after three months from the start of the expedition.

In modern everyday life, over-indulgence in the Internet can also be considered in some cases as a way to overcome cognitive deprivation, especially for individuals who do not have the opportunity to obtain information in any other way.

Cognitive deprivation is closely related to sensory deprivation and has much in common with it both in terms of the causes of its occurrence and in terms of the consequences caused, general and individual.

Chapter 4. Emotional deprivation

1. Experiments with animals

The role of emotional communication in the life of humans and animals is reflected in folk wisdom, which says that “a kind word is pleasant to a cat.” Simple observations show that if a pet is not stroked, held, etc., it becomes timid, “prickly” and aggressive.

Special experiments to study emotional deprivation in animals were carried out by limiting the contact of the cub with the mother. The most famous were G. Harlow's experiments with monkeys. He criticized the position of psychoanalysis that the child is attached to the mother only insofar as she satisfies his primary needs. Harlow emphasized that the Freudian theory of “selfish love” does not explain the phenomenon of attachment. The mother not only provides the child with food, but also gives him comfort and warmth.

Harlow placed a newborn rhesus monkey in a cage. At the same time, the monkey had access to two mannequins - models of the mother. One of them had a “body” made of wire mesh, on which you could drink milk. In another, the net was covered with shaggy material and was not supplied with food. It turned out that the monkeys held on to the fabric “mother” much more, pressed against her, and hung on her. They only ate on the wire dummy, then returned to the soft one. This led to the conclusion that bodily contact and comfort are more important than just the opportunity to eat.

If a situation of danger arose (a bear cub was placed in front of the cubs, moving and beating a drum), then they would run away in horror and hide somewhere in a corner. However, if there was a substitute cloth “mother” nearby, they would run and cling to her. There they gradually calmed down, turned to the unknown terrible object, then even approached it and began to explore it. The cubs without a mother froze in a corner, while the cubs with a “mother” turned out to be able to overcome their fear in favor of understanding the world around them. When the monkeys grew up, they often took the cloth “mother” with them in such cases, since it was not heavy.

Thus, maternal deprivation interferes with the desire for knowledge, which affects not only emotional, but also subsequent intellectual development. Outward curiosity is the flip side of a sense of emotional security that provides the confidence needed for exploration.

According to Harlow, the mutual attachment of a baby monkey to its mother is the emotional environment that establishes a sense of trust that serves as a long-term basis for subsequent social relationships with peers. These emotional relationships, in turn, set the stage for heterosexual relationships. In Harlow's experiments, monkeys who grew up in isolation (and were also deprived of communication with their peers) were later sexually hopeless. If, as a result of artificial insemination, they became parents, then they were either not interested in the cubs, or they beat them and pushed them away.

Observations of similar situations in animals in “field” conditions are also described.

In a study group of monkeys in Tanzania, the mother died in four cases. The cubs were already quite mature and did not depend on her either for food or for immediate protection. They were also "adopted" by their older siblings. Despite this, they soon developed characteristics reminiscent of the behavior of animals in laboratory experiments with maternal deprivation: they stopped playing, became apathetic, sank into automatism, and even died.

There are certainly many significant differences between emotional deprivation in children and animals. However, there are also similarities. This makes it possible to better understand the nature and patterns of this phenomenon.

2. Children in conditions of emotional deprivation

Harlow's research became the starting point for explaining human behavior. In particular, J. Bowlby came to the conclusion that the first feeling of attachment in humans is very similar to a similar feeling in rhesus monkeys, although it is still based on specifically human forms of behavior. The mother is a kind of base for the child, where he feels safe and leaves her from time to time to explore the world around him. In this case, children usually try to remain in the mother’s field of vision.

In his works, this scientist writes that attachment disorders create the basis for the development of a neurotic personality and lead the child onto psychologically risky paths of development. An insufficiently formed sense of attachment can lead to personality problems or mental illness. Working with juvenile delinquents, Bowlby concluded that they all experienced deficits in emotional communication with close adults early in development.

There is evidence of a relationship between attachment disturbances in little girls and the occurrence of depression in them as adults. Thus, girls whose mothers died before the child reached 12 years of age are significantly more at risk of severe depressive conditions in adulthood. However, according to research, such consequences are not fatal; they are weakened by factors such as having a good relationship with grandparents, doing well in school, having a good supportive marriage, and having a cheerful, carefree personality.

The influence of emotional deprivation on development is especially pronounced when a child is raised in an orphanage or a similar institution.

In the 40s XX century R. Spitz studied children who lost their parents during the war and ended up in hospitals or orphanages. The results of his research showed that these children had delays in cognitive, emotional and social development. To refer to this phenomenon, he used the concept of “hospitalism,” defining it as a set of mental and somatic disorders caused by a person’s long stay in a medical institution, separated from loved ones and home. R. Spitz primarily attributed the following to the symptoms of hospitalism in children:

Slowing of mental and physical development;

Speech development delay;

Reduced level of adaptation to the environment;

Weak resistance to infections, etc.

He saw separation from his mother as the main reason for this phenomenon. The consequences of hospitalization in children are long-term and often irreversible. In severe cases, the development of this condition leads to death.

Modern research also shows that in closed children's institutions, deviations in mental development can be traced in many directions at once.

The need for communication in such children appears later than in children living in families. Communication itself proceeds more sluggishly, the revitalization complex is weakly expressed, it includes less diverse manifestations, and it fades faster when the adult’s activity disappears.

We can say that children in an orphanage lack full-fledged emotional and personal communication in the first half of life, and in the second half of the year the timely development of the need for cooperation with an adult and, as a consequence, object-manipulative activity is delayed. There is monotonous, unemotional manipulation of objects.

Insufficient satisfaction of the need for attention and goodwill on the part of an adult, a lack of emotional communication lead to the fact that the child, even in the second half of his life, strives for affection, expressed in the primitive form of physical contact, and does not accept the cooperation offered to him.

Life in an orphanage leaves its mark on the development of the emotional sphere. In infants raised in an orphanage, emotional manifestations are poor and inexpressive. There is a less accurate differentiation of the emotions of an adult, a weak differentiation of positive and negative emotional impacts.

Against the background of studying children who experience difficulties in social, intellectual, and interpersonal development, groups of children are identified whose causes of personal and intellectual problems are caused by deprivative conditions of upbringing and development.

The term “deprivation” is widely used today in psychology, defectology and medicine. In everyday speech it means deprivation or limitation of opportunities to satisfy vital needs. Factors influencing the occurrence of a number of psychological problems in children include deprivation and loss.

Deprivation is the lack of necessary means to achieve a goal or satisfy a need. Distinguish between external and internal deprivation

2. V. Aucklander. A window into the world of a child. Manual of Child Psychiatry. M., 1997.

3. I. A., N. V. Furmanova. Psychology of a deprived child. M., Humanitarian edition. Vlados Center, 2000

4. P. T. Khomentauskas Family through the eyes of a child M. 1997