Nature vs Nurture: Feral Children

What is the nature versus nurture debate? The debate looks to answer the question, how much of human personality and behavior is attributable to environmental factors (nurture) and how much of it is biological (nature) In the following essays we will be looking at the nature nurture debate as it applies to three distinct situations. Feral children being the first.

For centuries humans were fascinated by myths and folklore describing people who had been raised in and by the wild. Part human part animal. What distinguishes the two? Originally thought to be the ability to learn language, this presumption comes into question when considering the presentation of feral children. Ferel children are individuals who have been severely neglected, had little to no human contact, and were possibly cared for by animals. In 1735, the term “Homo Ferens” was coined by Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus in attempt to classify this type of real life, wild human. Linnaeus described these individuals as those who walk on all fours, are dumb, and are covered in hair.

Fast forward to the year 1800 when humanity would partake in the first scientific endeavor in relation to this topic. An abandoned boy approximately 10 years old near Laocoon France wandered out from the forest and was taken to the institute of the deaf and mute The boy would be named Victor. At the time Victor appeared to be what was described at the time “completely savage.” Few of the presenting concerns surrounding Victor included his incapability of perceiving external physiological stimuli, being unresponsive to loud sounds, showing no aversion to eating raw or unsanitary foods, using the bathroom on himself, and having zero socialization skills.  Victor was eventually deemed incapable of progress and abandoned within the institution to his own devices by deaf educator Roch-Ambroise Cucurron, Abbé Sicard. This experience led Sicard’s to the conclusion that ones ability to learn language and communication skills are primarily dependent on early environmental factors. 

Enter Jean Marc Gaspard Itard. Itard did not believe that the conclusions made in regards to Victor were accurate. He had the idea that if taught correctly, Victor would be able to learn how to speak and communicate. Furthermore, Itard believed that he could civilize the prepubescent boy. With this belief in mind, Itard would adopt Victor and begin working with him to develop something as closely resembling a civilized citizen as he could manage.

Over course of the next six years Victor would make markable progress. During this time Victor had learned to differentiate hot from cold sensations, he had stopped wetting the bed, began to show fondness towards physical affection and even sneezed and cried for the first times. Victor had also shown promising signs when it came to learning language, apparently learning the terms “Lait” (milk) and “Mon Dieu” (Oh God.)

Unfortunately, Victor began using the word milk in association with completely unrelated objects and even at random. Prompting the conclusion that Victor was not attaching any semantic meaning to the words he was learning. Victor had also hit an apparent glass ceiling in all other aspects of his development prompting Icard to halt his work. Icard held on to the belief that if he had begun his work with the child sooner, he could have been successful. Later changing his mind, Icard verbalized the futility in undergoing such an attempt.

Modern psychologists speculate that Victor may have been suffering mental health disorders more categorizable today by diagnosis such as ASD, schizophrenia and or PTSD/CPTSD. They also wonder why there was no attempt on Icard’s part to teach the child sign language.

Victor may have been the first and most famous case of the human attempts to scientifically study and rehabilitate a “feral child” but it would not be the last. There is the case of Genie. A heart-wrenching case out of California of a severely abused, severely neglected young girl subjected to years of isolation, restraint and physical punishment. Genie essentially spent her entire childhood locked to either a crib by night or a toilet by day. She never got exposure to sunlight and her father made certain that not only Genie not be spoken to, but no conversations were to be had around her.

 Rescued by authorities in 1970 at the age of 13, Genie was sent to the children’s hospital in Los Angeles. Caseworker James Kent at the time describes the case of Genie as being like something he had never witnessed before. Genie was malnourished and small, weighing only about 60lbs. She was pale from lack of sunlight, she couldn’t chew, and could not walk or stand up properly. Genie also could not see very far due to being in a confined space perpetually, was incontinent, but was responsive to external stimuli. Genie displayed highly antisocial behaviors and appeared completely emotionally detached from other humans.

After much evaluation, doctors concluded that Genie was not born with any classifiable mental health disorders, any impediments to the ability to learn and that her current presentation is a result of her environmental upbringing.

Genie was ultimately able to make incredible progress. She developed curiosity, began paying attention to those who spoke, eating foods, gaining weight, using the bathroom, becoming happy to see doctors, hugging them and expressing emotions with words.

Genie would go on to live in multiple foster homes, unfortunately falling victim to more abuse which would negate years of progress. Ultimately she would end up inside of a private psychiatric facility were she is believed to be doing well.

The cases of Victor and Genie are two examples highlighting the nature nurture debate in regards to feral children. How much potential was lost and how much damage could be reversed being the central axioms within this case study.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/feral-children

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Linnaeus

https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/The-Wild-Boy-of-Aveyron

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMYcUXNUChs

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/victor-of-aveyron-8335.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie_(feral_child)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqflmQ5TaFQ