Deprivation examples. Types of psychological deprivation of a person

The term "sensory deprivation" is translated from Latin as "lack of feelings." Quite often, the state of the human psyche in question is referred to using the phrase “stimulus deprivation,” which is a prolonged absence of sensory stimuli that are perceived by the human brain through certain channels. This state can be compared to an emotional “hunger strike”, in which a person lacks various information. Such problems activate the part of the brain responsible for imagination. Against the background of increased activity of this brain region, a person experiences attacks of visual hallucinations, which are a kind of protective mechanism. Let's look at what sensory deprivation is and why this condition is dangerous.

Sensory deprivation - partial or complete cessation external influence to one or more sense organs

Long-term deprivation leads to the appearance of various mental disorders, expressed in the form of insomnia, problems with the perception of the outside world, emotional instability and lability.

It should be noted that people often deliberately limit their own contact with reality in order to discover new boundaries of perception in themselves. However, a long stay in isolation can bring many different problems to a person’s life. Sensory deprivation is quite often used in various experiments, the purpose of which is to identify the possibilities human brain in a state of isolation from various.

external stimuli IN Everyday life

a person interacts with the outside world using special channels. These channels include vision, hearing and touch. The absence of incoming information from one of these channels can lead to the appearance of various conditions in an individual.

Possible complications of sensory deprivation in children The presence of sensory deprivation in childhood, caused by impaired perception of various signals coming from the environment, can provoke the development of mental disorders. Most often, such problems lead to a decrease in mental and. According to experts, most often in children there is an auditory and visual form of the syndrome in question. A particular danger for the development of the psyche is the lack of close contact between the baby and the mother in the first few weeks of birth.

Children who do not have a family and are raised in special institutions often lack new experiences. Constant stay in a boarding school leads to a slowdown in the rate of development of motor functions. In addition, such children often have problems with functionality speech apparatus and low level of intellectual development.


Short periods of sensory deprivation have a relaxing effect on humans

Possible complications of sensory deprivation in adults

At a more mature age, this condition appears either spontaneously or intentionally. A striking example deliberate sensory deprivation is the use of special bandages and earplugs during sleep. The use of such devices limits the perception of stimuli such as sound and light. Often people find themselves in similar conditions due to their characteristics own profession. Such people include submariners, astronauts and speleologists. Staying in isolation, away from familiar conditions, leads to certain changes in a person’s consciousness.

Some people deliberately “block” certain channels of perception in order to achieve a certain state.

These people include monks and yogis who use renunciation of the channels of perception to achieve the state of nirvana.

Reasons for the development of sensory deprivation Problems with the perception of the outside world are most often caused by physical disabilities human body

or extreme situations. It should also be noted that the condition in question has two forms of manifestation: hidden and obvious. An obvious form of stimulus deprivation is typical for children in orphanages and people serving sentences in correctional institutions. A hidden form of deprivation can manifest itself even in the presence of favorable conditions for life. Sensory deprivation is a multifactorial disorder, the causes of which can have both internal and external “roots”. Most often, such a disorder manifests itself in a child when his parents abandon him. Also to external reasons. Often, a dysfunctional family and a child’s long stay in a boarding school are considered as the cause of such problems. However, according to experts, the main reason for this syndrome is neglect of the child’s need to understand the world around him.

The influence of sensory deprivation and sensory enrichment on a child's development is of particular importance in the formation of personality. Both temperament and other personal characteristics can complicate this process. Experts from the field of psychology say that in the life of every child there are moments in which he needs maternal care. Parental attention is of paramount importance between the ages of eighteen and thirty-six months. Having reached three years old, the baby begins to explore the world around him independently. Until this time, all processes of building relationships with surrounding objects are carried out with the help of parents. The lack of relationship between parents and child can lead to disturbances in the perception of incoming information.


Sensory deprivation is very actively used as a means of combating many emotional states and diseases

Factors leading to sensory loss in adults:

  1. Restriction of incoming information when staying in institutions that restrict freedom (military schools, prisons, closed hospitals).
  2. Prolonged stay in one room, provided there is no opportunity to go outside or enter into any other form of contact with the “outside” world.
  3. Using special techniques to reduce your own perception (meditation, yoga).
  4. Features of the professional sphere.
  5. Problems with perception arising from illnesses and injuries that cause loss of vision, hearing or sensitivity.
  6. Various extreme situations not related to a person’s desire to reduce the quality of interaction with the outside world.

It is important to note the fact that sensory deprivation can have an impact on human psyche both constructive and destructive effects. An important role in this matter is played by the level of emotional and mental preparation for such deprivations. In case of by an unprepared person, the emergence of problems associated with perception can cause the development of various diseases. Research on this topic has helped scientists understand the characteristics of various phobias and diseases such as autism. Having some preparation for such hardships allows a person to better know his inner world and reveal new facets of your intellectual and creative capabilities.

Clinical picture

Sensory deprivation in psychology is a term used to describe emotional and sensory “starvation.” Intentional reduction of incoming information from various channels of perception allows you to activate the development of imagination. According to experts, such actions are a kind of training figurative memory

. But you should pay attention to the fact that prolonged stay in such conditions can negatively affect the psyche. Attacks of apathy, frequent changes in mood and lethargy are the main symptoms of prolonged stay in conditions of limited perception.

  • Unfortunately, today there is no single classification to describe the clinical picture of this phenomenon. But, experts were able to identify some symptoms characteristic of the syndrome in question. These symptoms include: problems with concentration, memory, logical thinking
  • and the work of the speech apparatus;
  • attacks of hallucinations and delusions;
  • problems with orientation in space and time;

temporary mental disorders. Physiological symptoms of sensory deprivation include frequent migraine attacks, as well as a feeling of itching and dry mouth. Often, stimulus deprivation acts as a cause for the development of depersonalization disorders and degenerative cell changes. nervous system


. In addition, patients experience disturbances in the sleep-wake cycle.

Sensory deprivation in moderate doses has a relaxing effect and, most importantly, provokes intense internal work Deprivation is one of the reasons for the emergence of unreasonable fears and phobias.

The key role in this issue is played by the sphere of emotional perception. To date, there are two distinct manifestations of changes in emotional perception with sensory deprivation. The first type is characterized by an increase in emotional lability, against the background of a general decrease in mental sensitivity. With this form of development of the syndrome, a person exhibits an acute reaction to various events. As an example, let us give a situation in which a feeling of fear can generate a kind of euphoria and cause a smile. The second form of manifestation of emotional changes leads to a decrease in the level of sensitivity to events that were previously of great significance for a person. In this situation, hobbies and hobbies cease to bring positive feelings and become indifferent.

Treatment methods

Sensory deprivation rarely manifests itself as an independent disease. Most often, this syndrome develops together with other forms of deprivation, which leads to the need for complex therapy. In order to normalize the patient's condition, specialists should find the real reason appearance of the disorder.

The complexity of diagnosis is explained by the fact that in order to identify the causes of deprivation, it is necessary to study not only the patient’s life, but also to understand the individual characteristics of his personality. Most often, therapy for this mental disorder is carried out jointly by a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist. In order to normalize the patient’s mental state, both medication methods and mental correction sessions are used.

Drug therapy To date, there is no specific method of drug treatment that would be used for every patient. Use various drugs is possible only after diagnostic measures have been carried out and


physiological changes

in organism. Most often, sleeping pills, sedatives and antidepressants are used as part of complex treatment.

The simplest sensory deprivation devices are a tight blindfold and earplugs. Mental correction Psychocorrection sessions are an integral part of complex treatment

Please note that this syndrome requires mandatory medical intervention. IN otherwise Complications may develop that will affect both the mental and physiological health of the patient. Symptoms of deprivation syndrome are easier to diagnose in childhood, since it is much more difficult for adult patients to “open up” to a doctor. The main task of the specialist is to create special conditions in which the patient will be exposed to various stimuli.

This method allows you to obtain positive results that need to be consolidated with psychotherapy sessions. Deprivation - this is a state of mind of individuals, provoked by the loss of the opportunity to satisfy fundamental life needs and needs, for example, sexual desire, food intake, sleep, housing, communication between a child and a parent, or loss of benefits, living conditions , habitual for a particular individual. The term presented comes from an English concept that means deprivation or loss. Wherein this term

has a negative meaning, a strong negative orientation and carries not just a loss, but precisely the deprivation of something very significant and vital. Deprivation in psychology means a lack of sensory stimuli and social motives, depriving an individual of social contacts, living sensations and impressions. The concept of “deprivation” is related (although not identical) to the term “” in terms of content and psychological meaning. The deprived state, in comparison with the frustration reaction, is a much more severe, painful, and often even personally destructive state. It is distinguished by the highest degree of rigidity and consistency. In a variety of everyday situations and life circumstances

completely different needs may be deprived.

Types of deprivation

Deprived states are usually divided depending on the unmet need.

Most often, there are 4 types of this mental state, in particular: stimulus or sensory, cognitive, emotional and social. Most authors adhere to the classification below. Sensory or stimulus mental deprivation is a decrease in the number of sensory motives or their limited variability and modality. Often sensory deprivation can be described by the term "depleted environment", in other words, an environment in which the subject does not receive visual stimuli, auditory impulses, tactile and other stimuli. This environment can be accompanied child development, and can be included in the everyday situations of an adult.

Cognitive deprivation or deprivation of meaning arises as a result of an overly changeable, chaotic structure of the external world, which does not have a clear ordering and specific meaning, which does not make it possible to comprehend, predict and control what is happening from the outside.

Cognitive deprivation is also called information deprivation. It prevents the formation of adequate forms of the surrounding world. If an individual does not receive the necessary data, ideas about the relationships between objects or events, then he creates “false connections”, as a result of which he develops erroneous beliefs.

Emotional deprivation consists in the insufficiency of opportunities to establish an intimate emotional relationship with any person or the breakdown of a connection if it was previously created. This type of mental state can be encountered by individuals at different ages. The term “maternal deprivation” is often used for children, thereby emphasizing the importance for children of an emotional connection with their parent, the deficiency or rupture of which leads to a chain of mental health problems in children. So, for example, the deprivation of orphans consists of separation from their parents and can be both maternal and paternal, that is, paternal.

Social deprivation or identity deprivation consists of limiting opportunities for acquiring an independent social role.

Children living in orphanages or studying in educational institutions are susceptible to social deprivation closed type, adults isolated from society or having limited contact with other individuals, pensioners.

In ordinary life, the listed types of deprivation can be intertwined, combined, or a consequence of another.

In addition to the above types of deprivation, there are also others. For example, motor deprivation occurs when an individual faces the problem of limited movement due to injury or illness. This type state is not mental, but has a strong impact on the psyche of the individual.

In addition to the species classification, forms of manifestation of deprivation are distinguished - obvious or hidden. Obvious mental deprivation is of an obvious nature (for example, a person being in social isolation, prolonged loneliness, a child being in an orphanage), that is, in cultural terms, this is a visible deviation from the norm established in society. Hidden or partial is not so obvious. It originates from external favorable circumstances, which still do not provide the opportunity to satisfy fundamental needs for individuals.

Thus, deprivation in psychology is a multidimensional phenomenon that affects various areas human life.

Sleep deprivation

Deficiency or complete deprivation of the ability to satisfy the fundamental need for sleep. Occur due to sleep disturbance due to the presence of an illness, as a result conscious choice or under duress, such as torture. Depressive conditions are often successfully treated with the help of deliberate sleep deprivation.

Human individuals cannot stay awake all the time. However, he is able to reduce this process to a minimum (for example, to a couple of hours a day) - partial sleep deprivation.

Total sleep deprivation is the process of being deprived of sleep for at least several days.

There are also certain techniques using deprivation as a treatment. However, to this day there is much controversy regarding the usefulness of deprivation as a therapeutic agent. So, for example, it leads to a decrease in the secretion of growth hormone, which is responsible for converting calories into muscle mass. With its deficiency, calories are transformed not into muscle tissue, but into fat.

Sleep deprivation is characterized by several main stages. The initial stage, which lasts from one to six days, is characterized by constant struggle individual with sleep. People try to fall asleep for a fairly short period of time (no more than two hours). And the main thing here is not to break down, maintaining psychological calm. To this end, individuals try to diversify their activities and do something previously unknown and interesting. When choosing a new business, preference is given not to monotonous, but to more active occupation. You need to understand that during the initial stage, individuals may be plagued by nervous tension, emotional disorders, and poor health. At the end of the initial stage, the feeling of poor health goes away. The next step, lasting up to ten days, is shock therapy. The second stage is characterized by disorders of consciousness: human individuals will seem like robots, disturbances in the perception of the surrounding reality may be observed, and malfunctions may also appear in the cognitive sphere. For example, an individual may forget what happened a moment ago or confuse the past and present. Light possible. This stage is characterized by constant insomnia, to which the body has already adapted. The work of all systems is intensified, and processes are accelerated. There is a clearer perception of the world, and feelings are heightened. If you continue to deprive yourself of sleep, the third stage will begin, which is considered quite dangerous for the health of individuals. And it is marked by the emergence of visual vision.

Today, doctors successfully use sleep deprivation techniques to bring people out of their deepest depression. The essence of the method is a gradual change in sleep cycles: reducing the amount of time spent asleep and increasing the period of wakefulness.

Sleep deprivation, as most doctors believe, selectively affects certain areas of the brain responsible for people falling into depressive states.

Sensory deprivation

Partial or absolute deprivation of one analyzer or several sense organs of external influence is called sensory or stimulus deprivation. To the simplest artificial means, causing a state of loss of perception, include earplugs or blindfolds that remove or reduce the impact on the visual or auditory analyzer. There are also more complex mechanisms that simultaneously turn off several analyzer systems, for example, olfactory, tactile, taste and temperature receptors.

Stimulus deprivation has been successfully used in various psychological experiments, alternative medicine, BDSM games, meditation and as torture. Short periods of deprivation have a relaxing effect, as they trigger internal processes of subconscious analysis, organizing and sorting information, self-tuning and stabilization mental activity. Meanwhile, prolonged deprivation of external stimuli can provoke excessive anxiety, hallucinations, depression and antisocial behavior.

Scientists from McGill University in the fifties of the twentieth century asked volunteers to stay for the longest possible period of time in a special chamber that protected them from external impulses. The subjects were located in a small confined space V supine position, in which all sounds were drowned out by the monotonous noise of the air conditioner motor. Their hands were inserted into special cardboard sleeves, and their eyes were covered with tinted glasses that let in only faint, diffuse light. Most subjects were unable to endure this experiment for longer than 3 days. This is due to the turning of human consciousness, deprived of the usual external stimuli, into the depths of the subconscious, from which quite bizarre and incredible images and false sensations, reminding test subjects of hallucinations. Such imaginary perceptions frightened the subjects, and they demanded to complete the experiment. This study allowed scientists to conclude that sensory stimulation is vital for the normal development and functioning of consciousness, and deprivation sensory sensations leads to degradation of mental activity and the personality itself. The inevitable consequences of long-term stimulus deprivation will be impairments in the cognitive sphere, namely memory, attention and thought processes, anxiety, sleep-wake cycle disorders, mood swings from depressive state to euphoria and vice versa, the inability to distinguish reality from hallucinations.

Further research has shown that the occurrence of the listed symptoms is determined not by the fact of deprivation, but by the individual’s attitude towards the loss of sensory perceptions. The very deprivation of external influence on analyzers is not scary for an adult individual - it is just a change in environmental conditions, to which human body easily adaptable by restructuring the functioning.

So, for example, food deprivation will not necessarily be accompanied by suffering. Unpleasant sensations appear only in those individuals for whom fasting is unusual or they are forcibly deprived of food. People who consciously practice therapeutic fasting feel light in their bodies on the third day and can easily endure a ten-day fast.

Sensory and emotional deprivation of young children manifests itself in a lack of opportunities to establish an emotionally intimate relationship with a certain person or in the severance of an established connection. Children who find themselves in an orphanage, boarding school or hospital often find themselves in an impoverished environment that causes sensory starvation. Such an environment is harmful for individuals of any age, but it has a particularly detrimental effect on children.

Numerous psychological research proved that a necessary condition normal formation of the brain in an early age is the presence of a sufficient number of external impressions, since it is during the receipt of various information from the external environment into the brain and its further processing that the training of analyzer systems and corresponding brain structures occurs.

Social deprivation

The complete absence or reduction of the opportunity to communicate with people around us, to live interacting with society, is social deprivation. Violation of personal contacts with society can provoke certain state psyche, which serves as a pathogenic factor causing the development of a number of painful symptoms. The occurrence of violations is due to social isolation, the level of severity of which varies, which in turn establishes the degree of severity of the deprivation situation.

There are several forms of social deprivation, which differ not only in the level of its severity, but in the person who is the initiator. That is, there is certain personality, which establishes the deprivative nature of the relationship of an individual or a group of people with the wider society. In accordance with this, the following options for social deprivation are distinguished: forced, forced, voluntary and voluntary-forced isolation.

Forced isolation occurs when an individual or group of people finds themselves force majeure cut off from society. Such circumstances do not depend on their will or the will of society. For example, the crew of a sea vessel, caught in a shipwreck as a result of a desert island.

Forced isolation occurs when society isolates individuals regardless of their aspirations and desires, and often in spite of them. An example of such isolation is provided by prisoners in correctional institutions or closed social groups, being in which does not imply restrictions on rights and does not imply a decrease in the social status of the individual (conscript soldiers, children in orphanages).

Voluntary isolation occurs when individuals voluntarily distance themselves from society (for example, monks or sectarians).

Voluntary-forced isolation occurs when the achievement of a certain goal that is significant for an individual or group of people implies the need to significantly narrow one’s own contacts with a familiar environment. For example, sports boarding schools.

Man is the most perfect creation on planet Earth, but at the same time during the neonatal period and in infancy it is the most helpless creature, since it does not have any ready-made forms of behavioral response.

Deprivation of young children leads to a decrease in their success in understanding society and difficulties in building communications with individual subjects and society as a whole, which in the future will significantly affect the effectiveness of their life activities.

In addition, being in closed institutions does not remain without detrimental consequences for children's developing psyche.

Social deprivation of orphans sharply activates the formation of unwanted personality traits, such as: infantilism, self-doubt, dependency, lack of independence, low self-esteem. All this slows down the process of socialization and leads to disharmony in the social development of orphans.

Child deprivation

The shortage of any conditions, objects or means that satisfy material needs, spiritual and mental needs, in conditions of constant shortage, can be chronic, that is, chronic deprivation. In addition, it can be periodic, partial or spontaneous and depends on the duration of the loss.

Long-term deprivation of children delays their development. The lack of social stimuli and sensory stimuli in the process of childhood formation leads to inhibition and distortion of mental and emotional development.

For the full formation of children, a variety of stimuli of various modalities (auditory, tactile, etc.) are needed. Their deficiency gives rise to stimulus deprivation.

Unsatisfactory conditions for learning and mastering various skills, a disorderly structure of the external environment, which does not provide the opportunity to comprehend, predict and control what is happening from the outside, gives rise to cognitive deprivation.

Social contacts with the adult environment and, first of all, with the mother, ensure the formation of personality, and their deficiency leads to emotional deprivation.

Emotional deprivation affects babies in the following way. Children become lethargic, their orientation activity decreases, they do not strive to move, and physical health inevitably begins to weaken. There is also a delay in development in all major parameters.

Maternal deprivation does not lose the destructive power of its own effects at all stages of childhood growth. Due to maternal deprivation the attitude of the little personality towards itself is distorted, the child may experience rejection own body or self-aggression. In addition, the child loses the opportunity to establish full-fledged relationships with other persons.

Limiting the possibilities of social fulfillment through the assimilation of certain social roles, as well as through familiarization with public ideas and goals leads to social deprivation.

A pronounced result of a slowdown or disturbance in the development of children, which occurs as a result of some form of deprivation, is called hospitalism.

(late Latin deprivatio - loss, deprivation) (in psychology) - a mental state, the occurrence of which is caused by the life activity of an individual under conditions of prolonged deprivation or significant limitation of the ability 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 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 personality is revealed in its increased anxiety, fear, a feeling of deep, often inexplicable for the person himself, dissatisfaction with himself, his environment, 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, differing qualitatively more high level rigidity and stability compared to a frustration reaction. In different circumstances, different needs may be deprived. In this regard, the term deprivation is traditionally considered as a generic concept that unites a whole class of mental states of an individual 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 now lacks. 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.

completely different needs may be deprived.

In psychology it is customary to distinguish the following types 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 quality personal growth individual.

Deprivation refers to psycho-emotional state a person in which he is in a stressful state due to the inability to satisfy his usual needs.

Each of us cannot do without standard things in everyday life: good sleep, nutrition, communication with family, and fulfillment at work. If for some reason barriers to their implementation appear, this brings psychological or physical discomfort. As a result, consciousness changes. The lack of social and sensory stimuli leads to personality degradation.

How does deprivation manifest itself?


Depending on the type of disorder, different signs may be observed. But there are a number of common symptoms that indicate the disease:

  • constant feeling of dissatisfaction;
  • aggression;
  • increased anxiety;
  • depressive states;
  • decreased activity;
  • loss of interest in familiar things.

In itself, depriving a person of his usual benefits does not provoke a disorder. Deprivation is caused by the attitude of a particular person to certain circumstances. For example, if you limit the food intake of a person who practices fasting or a special diet, then this will not become stressful for him. But if the same thing is done to an individual who is not used to such things, it will cause him physical or emotional suffering. Deprivation is the psychological inability of an individual to adapt to circumstances that have changed.

completely different needs may be deprived.


There are two forms of deprivation:

  • absolute - when an individual really does not have the opportunity to satisfy his usual needs for food, communication, recreation, education;
  • relative - a type of disorder in which a person does not have factors for the development of deviations, since all the necessary benefits are present. But he is not able to enjoy the realization of these benefits. Relative form- This borderline state between norm and deviation.

If we carry out another classification, then it is customary to distinguish the following types of deprivation:

  • sensory - in this case there is no opportunity to receive satisfaction from impressions (no stimulus). The stimulus variety includes sexual (lack of intimate relationships), visual (for example, when a person is placed in a dark room for a long period), tactile (exclusion of tactile contacts);
  • paternal - typical for children who are forced to grow up in a dysfunctional family;
  • cognitive - exclusion of the opportunity to develop in the cultural sphere, in knowledge of the world;
  • social - the inability to realize one’s development in ordinary society due to a certain isolation. It is typical for people who are in prison, on compulsory treatment, for children who are brought up in orphanages and boarding schools.

Emotional deprivation


Emotions play an important role in shaping personality. They shape the character of behavior and help to adapt to society. Throughout development, an individual changes in emotional sphere, adapting to different circumstances. Emotions help a person understand his role in life and influence consciousness, thinking and perception.

Emotional deprivation leads to the fact that the individual does not perceive the entirety of the social sphere, and the area of ​​cognition becomes limited. Such factors cannot but influence normal psychological development.

There is an opinion among psychologists that the fundamental moment for the formation of a positive attitude towards life is the conscious desire of parents to have a baby. In this case, a beloved baby is born, in whose subconscious the correct perception of himself and those around him is already embedded.

The next important stage in personality formation is the period of early childhood. If at this time he is surrounded by people who cannot sufficiently show the correct emotions, prerequisites arise for the development of deprivation disorders. healthy psychological atmosphere in a family, the emotional connection between parents and child is the key to the formation of a positive attitude towards surrounding things and circumstances. Emotional deprivation is typical for those people who were brought up in an environment that was too emotionally volatile. This leads to social hyperactivity and difficulty establishing stable interpersonal relationships.

If in childhood the person was deprived emotionally, another type of deviation is formed. Various complexes develop, a feeling of melancholy and loneliness appears. Emotional hunger also drains the body physically. Such a baby begins to lag behind in development. If a person appears in his life with whom a close emotional connection is established, a feeling of attachment appears, the situation can change dramatically. A striking example can be the kids from orphanage who end up in a family where healthy reigns psychological climate. If at the stage of forced isolation from society and lack of attention they experience sensory deprivation, then in the case of acquiring full-fledged parents, healing occurs over time. Physical and mental indicators improve, their perception and attitude towards the world changes.

Maternal mental deprivation


There are situations in life when, for some reason, a child finds himself without a mother. For example, the mother died or she abandoned the baby after his birth. These are classic types of maternal loss that have a deprivative effect on human development. But other options for separation from mother can become a catalyst for the development of deviations. Among them, the most common are:

  • due to difficult childbirth, the child is temporarily separated from the parent;
  • the mother is forced to leave for a certain period of time without the baby (on a business trip, to study, etc.);
  • mother goes to work too early, entrusting raising the child to grandmothers and nannies;
  • the baby is sent to kindergarten at an age when he is not yet psychologically ready for it;
  • Due to illness, the child is admitted to the hospital without his mother.

The above cases are open maternal mental deprivation. There is also a hidden form. It is characterized by psychological tension in the mother's relationship with the child in her physical presence. This is a wrong relationship. In what cases can they be observed?

  • when children are born into a family with a small age difference, and the mother is simply physically unable to pay attention to the elders as needed;
  • if a woman suffers from a physical or mental illness that prevents her from fully caring for her baby and communicating;
  • when there is an atmosphere of tension or hostility between parents in the family;
  • if the mother is overly enthusiastic scientific approach in raising a child and absolutely does not listen to either his intuition or individual characteristics your baby.

Maternal deprivation is always experienced by children who were born as a result of an unwanted pregnancy, which influenced the formation of attitudes towards them.

Psychologists note that the foundations for the development of pathological conditions are often laid in children under the age of 3 years. This is the period that is especially important for establishing emotional contact with the mother. If this does not happen, the risk of auto-aggression, depression and lack of perception of the outside world increases. In adolescence and adulthood, such a person does not perceive himself and is not able to build normal social relations with other people. There is a version that maternal mental deprivation may underlie a number of autism spectrum diseases.

Paternal deprivation


Ideally, both parents should be involved in raising a child. After all, the influence of each of them is special and irreplaceable. Paterial deprivation can be as harmful to a person’s emotional development as maternal deprivation. What situations influence the formation of negative life dispositions?

  • father leaves the family;
  • there is a man’s physical presence in the house, but he does not build any emotional connections with the baby (indifference);
  • the father realizes his ambitions in relation to the child;
  • the family is disturbed role functions: a woman takes on the inherent masculine characteristics and becomes a leader who actively suppresses masculinity. And the opposite situation, in which the father performs the functions of the mother.

Paterial mental deprivation leads to the fact that the child does not correctly perceive sexual differentiation, becomes emotionally vulnerable and incompetent. When a psychologist begins to work with a patient, he always tries to analyze the childhood period and the period of his growing up. As practice shows, many individuals experience an accumulation of ancestral deprivations. And the next generation becomes even more incapable of building relationships correctly, which leads to problems for their children.

Sleep deprivation


There are different types of deprivation. There is a special group that includes sleep deprivation.

For full life In full health, a person should get enough sleep. If, for forced or voluntary reasons, he is regularly deprived of sleep, this will immediately affect his psychological and physical state.

We all know cases when, due to urgent work, exams or business trips, we have to sacrifice several hours of rest. If this is a one-time event, it does not pose a danger to the body. But if this happens constantly, the lack of sleep affects your well-being. During rest, the hormone of joy is actively produced. Lack of sleep provokes sleep deprivation. Work is disrupted endocrine system, metabolism slows down. The person begins to suffer from excess weight, headaches and depression.

At all times, one of the most cruel punishments was considered to be depriving an individual of the opportunity to sleep. This was achieved by creating conditions under which rest was unrealistic (loud music, bright light in the face, inability to take any position for sleeping). If a person is deprived of sleep (or he voluntarily refuses it) for several days in a row, this is called total sleep deprivation. How does this affect the body?

  • one day without rest - decline physical strength, decreased response;
  • two days - motor activity and mental abilities are impaired;
  • three days - severe tension headaches begin;
  • four days - hallucinations appear, the volitional sphere is suppressed. This is a critical phase of deprivation, after which irreversible processes can occur that pose a threat to life.

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but with the help of sleep deprivation you can... treat. There are practical studies that have established that artificially depriving a person of the sleep phase can help him get rid of deep depression. This effect is explained as follows: lack of sleep - stress. Active production of catecholamines begins, which are responsible for emotional tone. In this manner shock therapy interest in life returns. Sleep deprivation also successfully relieves insomnia. Of course, such treatment methods must be carried out strictly under the supervision of a specialist.

deprlvation) Experience of not getting what you need. Psychoanalysis is interested in two types of deprivation: maternal and sexual. Both types, and in recent years mainly the first of them, are cited as causes of NEUROSIS, especially Bowlby (1951) in Great Britain. The theory of neurosis due to maternal deprivation exists in different degrees of comprehension, depending on how the insufficiency of the necessary is defined. Statistical theories of maternal deprivation must, of necessity, define deprivation in terms of the duration of the MOTHER's physical absence. Other theories, such as Winnicott's theory, which are based on both pediatric observations and analytical designs, may define deprivation in terms of love received or not received, and may break the concept of mothering into subcategories such as feeding, nurturing, cuddling, smiling, warmth, which may result in the mother not being classified as a “good enough” or NORMALLY DEFECTIVE MOTHER in one subcategory, while being successful in others.

Deprivation theories of neurosis imply that deprivation beyond a certain THRESHOLD causes correspondingly irreversible consequences, either slowing down development or provoking DEFENSE. According to one of the possible schemes, the sequence is as follows: deprivation - FRUSTRATION - AGGRESSION - ANXIETY - DEFENSE - INHIBITION - return of the repressed - FORMATION OF SYMPTOM; according to another: deprivation - FIXATION - delayed development - stability of the INFANTLE need for maternal care and REGRESSIVE behavior. For the consequences of massive maternal deprivation, see SEPARATION, MOTHER - CHILD.

DEPRIVATION

from lat. deprivatio - loss, deprivation) - a feeling of dissatisfaction experienced by an individual or group in relation to their current state; experiencing a discrepancy between expectations and possibilities for satisfaction. The term "D." introduced by the American sociologist S. Stauffer in the late 40s. XX century The gap between the growing level of expectations and current needs leads to increased pressure on both the personal and group levels, which contributes to the growth of social tension and the emergence of various forms socio-political, ethnic conflicts. A number of studies have established that D.’s growth in certain social groups strengthens the tendencies towards aggressive behavior of their members directed against the political system or public group, which is considered the culprit D.

DEPRIVATION

English deprivation - deprivation, loss). In medicine: insufficiency of satisfying any needs of the body.

D. MOTOR - lack of motor activity due to space limitations, lifestyle, etc.

D. MATERNAL - lack of contact with the mother, especially in early childhood. Leads to affective neurotic and psychotic disorders - anaclitic depression; is one of important factors etiology of early childhood schizophrenia.

D. SEXUAL - see Sexual abstinence.

D. SENSORY - deprivation of information necessary for life, which often plays an important role in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, for example, hallucinosis of the Charles Bonnet type.

D. SOCIAL - lack of contact with the environment, which leaves an imprint on mental development (Kaspar Hauser, Mowgli syndromes) or disrupts previously established mechanisms social adaptation: for example, existential depression, severe neurotic conditions due to retirement, loss of loved ones, etc.

Deprivation

A term made famous by John Bowlby, who believed that children deprived of maternal care and love in early childhood experience retarded emotional, physical, or intellectual development. The term "deprivation" is used in cases where the bonds of attachment are severed. Bowlby's early experiments with children evacuated during World War II led him to believe that prolonged separation from their mother caused deprivation syndrome. This belief was strengthened by research on rhesus monkeys conducted by Harry Harlow in the 1950s. Harlow showed that young monkeys separated from their mothers soon after birth and raised in isolation exhibited significant developmental delays. A study of children in orphanages found that they often show signs of retardation in physical, emotional and intellectual development. Such effects are a direct consequence of early deprivation. Bowlby's work contributed greatly to beneficial changes in society, especially the improvement of government care for young children and the gradual strengthening of the role of foster parents as an alternative to orphanages. However, many of his claims about the dangers of early separation from mothers seem exaggerated, and the guilt towards children experienced by working mothers is not considered to be as strong as before.

DEPRIVATION

Strictly speaking, the term means the loss of some desired object or person and is used to denote the removal of an object or person or to denote the state of loss itself. There are also interesting special uses, as in phrases like "48-hour food deprivation" and "85% of normal body weight deprivation." In such cases, it refers to an experimental procedure in which the drive or need of the organism is controlled by determining the (operational) level of deprivation.

Deprivation

mental state of a person that arises as a result of a long-term restriction of his ability to satisfy basic mental needs; characterized by pronounced deviations in emotional and intellectual development, disruption of social contacts.

Deprivation

late lat. deprivatio - loss, deprivation] (in psychology) - a mental state, the occurrence of which is due to the life activity of an individual under conditions of prolonged deprivation or significant limitation of the ability to satisfy his vital needs. The concept of D. in a substantive psychological sense is related, but not identical to the concept of “frustration.” Compared to the latter, D. 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 D. is traditionally considered as a generic concept that unites a whole class of mental states of an individual that arise as a result of a long distance from the sources of satisfaction of a particular need. Despite the variety of types of D., their manifestations are psychologically similar in content. 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. Of decisive importance here are the expression and correlation of two main groups of factors: 1) the level of stability of a particular individual, his deprivation experience, the ability to withstand the influence 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. In psychology, it is customary to distinguish the following types of D.: motor, sensory, maternal and social. Motor D. 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. The psychological (actually personal) deformations to which motor dysfunction leads are, in their depth and intractability, in no way inferior to, and sometimes even superior to, those physiological anomalies that are a direct consequence of illness or injury. Sensory D. 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.” The mental state, traditionally designated by the concept of “social D.”, is a consequence, for one reason or another, of a violation of the 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 yet predetermine fatally social D. 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 "reclusion" of an internally rich, spiritually stable, mature personality not only does not lead to the appearance of deprivation syndrome, but also stimulates the qualitative personal growth of the individual. The most intensively studied type of D. in psychology is maternal D. and, above all, hospitalism - a syndrome of pathology of children's mental and personal development, which is the result of the separation of the infant from matter. M.Yu. Kondratiev

Deprivation

deprivation, loss, limitation of something, loss of a significant object or person. For example, sensory deprivation is the limitation of external stimuli, sleep deprivation is the limitation or deprivation of sleep.

Deprivation

Depriving a person or limiting the satisfaction of any essential needs (sleep, physical activity, information, social environment etc.). One of the factors leading to the development of neurosis and mental disorders.

Deprivation

from lat. deprivatio - loss, deprivation] - a mental state, the occurrence of which is due to the life activity of an individual in conditions of prolonged deprivation or significant limitation of the ability to satisfy his vital needs. The concept of “deprivation” in a meaningful psychological sense is related, but not identical to the concept of “frustration”. Compared to the latter, deprivation is a significantly more severe, painful and sometimes personally destructive state, 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 concept that unites a whole class of mental states of an individual that arise as a result of a long distance from the sources of satisfaction of a particular need. 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. Of decisive importance here are the expression and correlation of two main groups of factors: 1) the level of stability of a particular individual, her 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. In psychology, it is customary to distinguish the following types of deprivation: motor, sensory, maternal and social. 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 that motor deprivation leads to are in no way inferior in depth and intractability to overcome, and sometimes even surpass those physiological anomalies that are a direct consequence of illness or injury. Sensory deprivation is a consequence of “sensory hunger,” i.e., a mental state caused by the inability to satisfy the most important need for impressions for any individual 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.” The most intensively studied type of deprivation in psychology is maternal deprivation and, above all, hospitalism - a syndrome of pathology of children's mental and personal development, which is the result of the separation of the infant from the mother. The mental state, traditionally designated by the concept of “social deprivation,” is a consequence, for one reason or another, of a violation of the 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. Forms of social deprivation differ not only in the degree of its severity, but also in who is its initiator, who exactly sets the deprivative nature of the group’s relations with the wider society - it itself or society, purposefully creating a more or less closed from other human communities, an association of people. On this basis we can distinguish: 1) forced isolation, when the group as a whole and each of its members individually find themselves cut off from the social environment due to prevailing circumstances, regardless of their own desires or the will of society (for example, the crew of a shipwrecked ship stranded on a desert island or an expedition lost in the taiga or in the desert, etc.); 2) forced isolation, when, regardless of the wishes of people, and often against their will, society deliberately isolates them, isolating them within closed groups (examples of such communities can be: a) groups of people subjected to a kind of temporary ostracism - convicted in various conditions correctional institutions, persons under investigation, located within the walls of pre-trial detention centers, patients, subjected to compulsory treatment from drug addiction, substance abuse, alcoholism, skin and venereal diseases; b) closed groups, membership in which (at least officially) does not imply any infringement of rights and does not imply low social status people - conscript soldiers under conditions of universal compulsory military service, pupils of orphanages, orphanages, boarding schools for “social” and actual orphans); 3) voluntary-forced, or voluntary-forced isolation, when the achievement of some goal that is significant for people is associated with an unpleasant and often painful need to sharply limit one’s contacts with the usual environment (an example of this can be various professional closed groups, as well as professional -specialized educational institutions boarding type, but at the same time in a certain sense of an elite nature - boarding schools for especially gifted children and adolescents, sports boarding schools, Nakhimov and Suvorov schools and so on.); 4) voluntary isolation, when people of their own free will unite within closed groups, without being directly stimulated to such “social seclusion” by the demands of society (an example of such a voluntary exit from society can be monks, hermits, sectarians who move to remote, hard-to-reach places and etc., that is, those for whom alienation from society, severance of ties with it are perceived as required condition maintaining one's personality). At the same time, social isolation in itself does not fatally predetermine social deprivation. Thus, often in conditions of, first of all, voluntary and voluntary-forced, or voluntary-forced isolation in the presence of a truly significant goal for the individual of moral, intellectual, professional, etc. formation and development, a rapid and extremely productive formation of a mature, internally rich and spiritually stable personality and does not manifest any deprivation syndrome.

If the consequences of motor and sensory deprivation, destructive for the personality, in many cases can be successfully compensated both through the action of intrapersonal compensatory mechanisms (for example, sublimation of life needs limited by motor deprivation through creativity), and through the efforts modern society(development of medicine, social work, spread of Internet technologies, etc.), then maternal deprivation not only represents a serious psychological and social problem in itself, but is also a powerful pathogenic factor in relation to a number of serious personality disorders. According to domestic researchers, “in conditions of complete maternal deprivation there are the following options mental pathology: 1) violation of personality formation; 2) violation of mental and intellectual development; 3) mental disorders"1. At the same time, in practice, complete maternal deprivation in the form of abandonment of the child, as a rule, entails early social deprivation - placement in a closed educational institution(shelter, orphanage with subsequent transfer to an orphanage, etc.). Thus, the pathogenic effect of maternal deprivation itself is significantly aggravated.

As noted by B. E. Makirtumov, A. G. Koshchavtsev and S. V. Grechany, “the earlier the deprivation occurred, the more severe the resulting pathology. Early age is characterized by a predominance of disorders of the emotional-volitional sphere, uneven retardation of intellectual development with a predominant impairment of speech development (especially expressive speech). Much more often than in family children, pathological habitual actions are detected... signs of deprivation (apathetic or masked) depression, the phenomenon of deprivation pseudo-autism. After 3 years, mental pathology is represented mainly by characterological disorders and delays in intellectual development. In all age groups, deprived children show little differentiation and superficiality in communication with others, insufficient development of higher emotions - feelings of pity, sympathy, complicity, the ability to recognize their guilt, experience feelings of shame, as well as low performance, disorders of attention, memory...

A symptom complex characteristic of deprived children in the form of insufficient development of the affective side of personality, delay or distortion in the formation of mental functions, paraautistic manifestations, etc. is called “orphanhood” syndrome1.

From the above, it is clear that maternal deprivation significantly increases the risk of social deprivation in adulthood. This is due to both a pronounced tendency towards self-isolation, the inability to establish full-fledged social relationships, and the fact that deprived children have an increased tendency towards aggressive and criminal behavior: “Early emotional deprivation lays the foundations for future social and mental rejection of the environment and its values, the expectation of threat from the outside world"2. It is essential that such destructive attitudes of the individual in relation to to the outside world, which are based on a deficit of basic trust, can be a consequence of not only complete, but also partial maternal deprivation, since, as E. Erikson noted, “... the degree of trust, determined by the earliest childhood experience, apparently does not depend on absolute amount of food or demonstrations of love, but depends on the quality of the child’s relationship with the mother. Mothers develop trust in their children through a type of relationship with the child that combines a sensitive response to the infant’s individual needs and a strong sense of self-confidence in the context of mutual trust in their shared lifestyle.”3 Otherwise, partial and sometimes full-scale pathogenic development occurs, characteristic of a situation of complete maternal deprivation.

At the same time, a practical social psychologist, within the framework of his professional activity When faced with individuals and entire groups and organizations that find themselves in deprivation conditions, one should, firstly, diagnose the nature and degree of deprivation pressure, secondly, try to identify the socio-psychological consequences of such a situation of personal and group development, thirdly, build a correctional program and a program for further psychological support for the activity of individual members of the community and the life activity of their membership group as a whole.