Human Psychological Development in ‘Feral Children’ – The Case of Betty Topper Essay Sample
Human Psychological Development in ‘Feral Children’ – The Case of Betty Topper Essay Sample

Human Psychological Development in ‘Feral Children’ – The Case of Betty Topper Essay Sample

Available Only on StudyHippo
View Entire Sample
Text preview

In September 1999 constabulary found six-year-old miss Betty Topper chained to a bed with ‘what appeared to be’ a Canis familiaris tether. after they got a tip from an anon company who said the kid had non been seen in old ages. Her female parent Cyndi Topper subsequently confessed that she had been chained there for five old ages. When constabulary searched the house ( located in Norco. California ).

it was covered with refuse from the floor to the ceiling and there were human and carnal fecal matters everyplace. Police made their manner to a dorsum sleeping room where they saw a little miss. chained by a Canis familiaris tether to a brass bed with a harness around her waist. She had nil on but a crisp.

She was covered with fecal matters and crud and had over-grown hair down to her waist. She was h

...

ighly malnourished and pale. Police officers described her every bit looking as “if she had ne'er seen the visible radiation of day”. The kid was taken to Loma Linda Medical Centre where she was treated and evaluated. She was listed in serious but stable status.

and was enduring from malnutrition. A month subsequently she had gained 4. 5 kgs to weigh a sum of 18kg. and was going more synergistic with other people. although she could still non talk. Psychological and development shortages of this kid; Betty Topper’s physical development was badly delayed.

She weighed around half the weight of an norm six twelvemonth old. This was due to malnutrition and possibly even psychosocial nanism. In the psychosocial nanism syndrome. the failure to turn is caused because the production of growing endocrine i

View entire sample
Join StudyHippo to see entire essay

suppressed due to highly high degrees of psychosocial emphasis. Once sick persons are removed to a normal ( fostering ) environment. there is normally rapid catch-up growing; which is true to Topper’s instance.

It is non merely growing that is affected by this syndrome. but besides the oncoming of pubescence significance Betty might hit pubescence subsequently than normal. The miss besides lacks many abilities that normal six twelvemonth olds get such as; the ability to walk. run. skip.

leap etc. Many of these accomplishments would be about impossible for Betty to larn because her musculuss and castanetss would be highly developing due to being chained to her bed non traveling. for five of her six old ages of life. The lone two people Betty had contact with for five old ages were her female parent and gramps and these relationships weren’t near or loving. Betty would hold no accomplishments in developing close relationships or in interacting collaborating and pass oning with others. Her ability to map in a group would besides be highly hindered as she would hold no experience. The effects of one’s childhood environment interact with all the procedures of neurodevelopment ( neurogenesis. migration. distinction programmed cell death. arborization. synaptogenesis. synaptic sculpting. and myelination ).

Betty’s cognitive development would be highly obstructed. Her mental abilities such as larning memory. thought and job work outing would non hold improved since she was one because she was non allowed to work in society or populate a normal good adjusted life. She wasn’t even treated as a human being. ne'er having adequate encouragement nutriment or societal interaction to larn. She would ne'er hold improved determination doing abilities because she

was ne'er faced with any determinations; in fact she was faced with small ( if any ) mental stimulation. Finally, Betty would hold really small construct of the manner she experiences or expresses her emotions. Bing kept in such cruel and unusual fortunes for so long. Betty might non hold developed the full scope of emotions ( possessed by most people ) and would non understand why emotions were felt.

Ways bettering this child’s socio-emotional operation in society; Betty would necessitate to be kept in clean conditions. Federal and looked after decently. She should be cared for by a little. changeless group of grownups so she can acquire to cognize them. learn to swear them and hopefully make some emotional bond with them. The same should be done when she is introduced to kids.

Too many kids could straiten or confound her but if there was a little group of kids that visited her. she might organize a friendly relationship with one or more of them. This would besides familiarize her with people closer to her ain age. It might be appropriate for the kids she interacts with to be mentally disadvantaged ( but still friendly and harmless ) because they would be closer to her mental degree than other kids.

These meetings with other kids must be supervised in instance anything goes incorrect. If it was possible. it would assist Betty to larn some linguistic communication. or if non. learn some kind of mark linguistic communication so she can pass on with others. She should besides be placed in positive gratifying state of affairss so she has the opportunity to detect human emotions such as joy and

exhilaration. Ethical issues that would originate in the effort to re-socialise the ferine kid; If she was introduced into society Betty might endure from the emphasis of co-existing with people for the first clip. Betty does non hold the same mental. societal or physical abilities as other kids her age.

She wouldn’t be able to associate to other kids and might be isolated from her equals because of this. Other kids might mistreat her verbally or even physically. She may experience like an ‘outsider’ or a ‘freak’ and halt seeking to larn develop or pass on with others. Betty may besides be mentally disturbed due to her opprobrious up-bringing. It may non be deserving re-socialising her. if there is the opportunity of her moving psychotically possibly even harming others. Even if she is nonpsychotic; ferine kids are normally wholly incognizant of the demands and desires and others. The impressions of ethical motives. belongings and ownerships are unfamiliar to them so they can’t understand other people.She besides may endure the emphasis of larning how to make mundane activities such as; walking. jobs. shopping etc.

She might non of all time be able to wholly independent and if she is forced to be. she might stop up harming herself.

Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New