Deprivation is a psycho-emotional state that is described in psychology as arising due to the limitation or prolonged deprivation of the opportunity to satisfy the basic needs of the individual.
There are many types of deprivation in psychology, but they all have similar manifestations. A person who does not have the opportunity to fully satisfy his needs becomes anxious and fears begin to bother him. She becomes passive and loses interest in life. This condition may be accompanied by unexpected outbursts of aggression.
The level of deprivation varies from person to person. The “degree of damage” depends on several factors:
- Variant of the impact of a deprivation stimulus, the degree of its “rigidity”.
- The stability of a particular individual, the experience of overcoming similar conditions.
Partial restriction of a basic need does not have such a negative impact on a person as its complete absence. How quickly a person copes with this condition also depends on the extent to which his other needs are satisfied.
Causes of deprivation
Deprivation doesn't just happen. Moreover, it can only appear in people who are internally predisposed to it. First of all, it manifests itself in people with an internal “vacuum” of values. In psychology this is described as follows. If a person has been deprived of something for a long time, then over time he loses the ability to follow the rules, norms and values that exist in society. In order to exist normally, an individual must be able to adapt to the environmental conditions in which he finds himself. If he does not know how to do this, he feels internal discomfort. The way out of the situation is the formation of new ideals and values.
Definition
The word came to us from the Latin language. Deprivation is translated as “loss”, “deprivation”. This is what happens: a person loses the opportunity to satisfy his psychophysiological needs and experiences negative emotions. It could be resentment, anxiety, fear and much more. And, in order not to get confused in definitions, it was decided to reduce this state of loss into a single whole. This is how the concept of deprivation arose, which covers all possible emotions. The essence of deprivation is the lack of contact between desired responses and the stimuli that reinforce them.
Deprivation can plunge a person into a state of severe internal emptiness, from which it is difficult to find a way out. The taste for life disappears, and the person begins to simply exist. He does not enjoy food, his favorite activities, or socializing with friends. Deprivation increases the level of anxiety; a person becomes afraid to try new behavior patterns, trying to maintain a stable state in which he is comfortable. He falls into a trap of his own mind, from which sometimes only a psychologist can help. Even the strongest personality sometimes “breaks” under the influence of a particular situation.
Many people confuse deprivation with frustration. After all, these states definitely have something in common. But these are still different concepts. Frustration refers to the failure to achieve satisfaction of a certain need. That is, a person understands where negative emotions come from. And the phenomenon of deprivation is that it may not be realized, and sometimes people live for years and do not understand what is eating them. And this is the worst thing, because the psychologist does not understand what to treat.
Types of deprivation
There are several criteria for classifying the concept of “deprivation”. According to the degree of damage, there are 2 types of deprivation:
- Absolute deprivation
. This is a complete lack of access to various benefits and the ability to meet basic needs. - Relative deprivation
. This concept implies the subjective experience of a discrepancy between value possibilities and personal expectations.
Based on the nature of the unmet need, the following types of deprivation are distinguished:
- Sensory deprivation
. With this type of deprivation, a person is deprived of the opportunity to satisfy his needs related to the senses. Sensory deprivation is also divided into visual, auditory, tactile, and tactile. Scientists also highlight sexual deprivation, when a person has no intimate relationships for a long time. - Paternal
. Deprivation is typical for children who grow up in a dysfunctional family. - Social
. This type of deprivation is typical for people who are in prison, undergo treatment for a long period, boarding school residents, etc. - Motor
. Deprivation develops as a result of restricted movement. This may be due to disability, illness, or specific living conditions. Motor deprivation leads not only to mental, but also physical disorders.
Sensory and social deprivation require separate consideration.
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 physical activity 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). Exercise, games, reading, variety in food, listening to music. 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.
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Key words:1Psychoregulation
Sensory deprivation
This concept means the complete or partial deprivation of the senses of the ability to respond to external influences. The simplest option is to use blindfolds or earplugs, which limit the capabilities of the visual and auditory analyzer. In complex cases of this deprivation, several analyzers are “turned off” at once. For example, gustatory, olfactory, visual and tactile.
Sensory deprivation brings not only harm to the body, but also benefit. It is often used in alternative medicine, psychological experiments, and psychology. Short periods of deprivation improve the functioning of the subconscious and stabilize the functioning of the psyche.
Long-term restriction of the work of sensory analyzers often provokes anxiety, restlessness, hallucinations, antisocial behavior, depression - these are the consequences of deprivation.
Touch camera experiment
In the last century, scientists decided to conduct an interesting experiment to study sensory deprivation. They invented a special chamber that protected the subjects from environmental influences. Participants in the experiment were positioned horizontally in the chamber. Once placed, their access to all sounds was blocked. This was done using a kind of noise of the same type. The eyes were covered with a dark bandage, and the hands were placed in cardboard sleeves. The duration of the experiment was not determined in advance, but after conducting a series of studies, scientists found that a person cannot stay in such conditions for more than three days. Such restrictions provoke hallucinations and reduce mental abilities.
Food deprivation
A special type of sensory deprivation is food deprivation. Unlike other disorders of this kind, it does not always cause negative emotions and experiences. Unpleasant sensations appear only in those who are deprived of food against their will. People who practice therapeutic fasting feel better every day, their body becomes lighter, and their vitality increases.
Sensory deprivation in children
In childhood, sensory deprivation manifests itself in the form of limitation or deprivation of the possibility of emotional contact with loved ones. If a baby ends up in a hospital or boarding school, he often experiences sensory hunger. Such changes have a negative impact on any child, but young children are especially sensitive to them. Kids should receive enough bright and positive impressions. This contributes to the formation of the ability to analyze information coming from the outside, training of the corresponding brain structures, and development in psychology.
Afterword
By the way, the phenomenon of deprivation is closer than we think, and it has not only a negative side. Its skillful use helps to know oneself and achieve a state of altered consciousness. Remember the techniques of yoga, relaxation, meditation: close your eyes, don’t move, listen to music. All these are elements of deprivation. In small and controlled doses, when used skillfully, deprivation can improve the psychophysiological state.
This feature is used in some psychotechnics. With the help of perception management (can only be done under the supervision of a psychotherapist), new horizons become available to the individual: creative abilities, previously unknown resources, increased adaptive abilities.
Social deprivation
If a person is deprived of the opportunity to fully contact society, this provokes a certain mental state, which can subsequently cause the development of pathogenic symptoms and syndromes. Social deprivation can be caused by various factors. In psychology, there are several forms of this condition:
- voluntary deprivation;
- forced deprivation;
- forced deprivation;
- voluntary-forced deprivation.
Forced deprivation occurs when a person or group of people finds themselves in conditions isolated from society. These circumstances do not depend on the will or desire of the individual. An example of such deprivation would be a tragedy at sea, after which the ship's crew finds themselves stranded on a desert island.
Forced deprivation occurs when a person is isolated, contrary to his wishes. An example of such a situation is people who are in prison, boarding school students, and conscripts. Voluntary deprivation occurs in cases where a person limits the satisfaction of the need for communication at his own request. Such people include sectarians and monks. An example of voluntary-forced deprivation is pupils of a sports school.
For an adult, the consequences of social deprivation are not as catastrophic as for children. Limitations in communication negatively affect the child’s life efficiency and mental development.
Scientists distinguish emotional, maternal, paternal deprivation and sleep deprivation into a separate group. Let's take a closer look at them.
Manifestation
Deprivation is not at all easy to recognize, which means it is not always possible to find out what caused the problems. A clear sign can be considered aggressiveness directed at oneself or other people.
When aggression is directed towards oneself, a person is prone to self-harm and suicide. To numb the pain, they use large amounts of alcohol or drugs.
Another common sign is isolation. A person withdraws into himself, distances himself from everyone and suggests that he feels good alone with himself. The severity of symptoms depends on the personal qualities of a person’s character.
The child may experience aggressiveness, lack of desire to eat food, insomnia, and hyperactivity.
Emotional deprivation
Emotions and feelings play an important role in a person’s life. Personality is formed under their influence. The emotional sphere helps a person adapt to various life changes. Thanks to emotions, a person realizes his place in life. They influence the cognitive sphere, form perception, thinking, memory, and develop consciousness.
If a person is deprived of the ability to satisfy the emotional sphere, then his cognitive area becomes poor and limited as a result of deprivation. This negatively affects normal mental development. Thanks to psychological research, it has been revealed that the desire of parents to have a baby in the family has a significant influence on a child’s attitude towards life.
The next important stage in the development of the personal sphere is early childhood. If at this time the baby is surrounded by attention and receives a sufficient amount of positive emotions, then he is unlikely to experience emotional deprivation, and there will be no changes in psychology. But if it’s the other way around, then the child is prone to deprivation disorders. There is a risk of such deviations occurring even if the baby is constantly in an emotionally volatile environment.
A person who was deprived of positive emotions in childhood often experiences feelings of loneliness and melancholy as an adult, and develops an inferiority complex in psychology.
The lack of emotions also affects physical development - the baby develops late, his medical indicators do not reach the norm. But if the child finds himself in a normal environment, the indicators change sharply in a positive direction. A striking example of such “healing” is children from orphanages who end up being raised in full-fledged families.
The situation in the modern world
Any society leaves its mark on the peculiarities of the appearance and manifestation of deprivation in humans. The state of dissatisfaction among people in primitive society, during the existence of the Soviet Union and in the modern world is significantly different.
Economic component
Our society is a consumer of material goods. Uneven distribution of income and limited access to benefits are a factor in dissatisfaction.
Each individual subjectively perceives the level of his well-being. Two people with the same income level can consider themselves rich or poor. This is a question of the sufficiency of extracted resources.
However, significant social stratification, intrusive advertising of goods and services, and the dissemination in the media of stories from the life of the elite of society give us a feeling of our own failure and inferiority. Moreover, displeasure arises not from the impossibility of owning a specific thing (an apartment, a car), but from the quality of life in general.
Social factor
Feelings of inferiority may arise due to society's imposition of advantages for certain groups of people over others.
For example, the young are valued more than the elderly, and the rich than the poor. Sexism is rampant, suggesting that men are of higher value to society than women.
Beauty standards are imposed, forcing girls and women to lose weight to the point of exhaustion and disfigure their bodies with plastic surgery. Recently, a new term “dear face” has appeared, which implies the mandatory presence of beauty shots, high cheekbones and a plump mouth.
The dependence of social status on income level is clearly expressed; rich people allow themselves to be both “beautiful” and in demand. A person’s spirituality and his moral characteristics are erased and lose their meaning.
Ideological deprivation
An individual or a group of people develops a vacuum of a system of significant values that could become the basis for building a life. A person begins to look for his own faith, ideology, meaning of existence.
There is a feeling of despair, alienation from society, and a desire to change the existing system. People who grew up in the USSR find it difficult to perceive the existing socio-economic system and cannot accept the existing value system.
Cognitive deprivation becomes more severe. Progress is proceeding at such a rapid pace that a person sometimes lacks the knowledge to understand the latest science and modern technologies, and the acquired knowledge and skills are not always in demand in the labor market.
Sleep deprivation
Normal, full sleep is the key to good health and well-being. If for some reason a person is deprived of the opportunity to get enough sleep, this affects his physical and mental state. When it comes to an isolated case, it will not have a negative impact on health. But when a person is regularly deprived of proper sleep, he develops deprivation disorders.
During a night's rest, the hormone of joy is produced. If a person does not get enough sleep, the functioning of his endocrine system is disrupted, and metabolic processes slow down. This type of deprivation leads to weight gain, depression, and headaches.
What else happens to a person who is deprived of proper sleep?
- 1 day without sleep – worsening reaction, loss of strength;
- 2 days without sleep – impaired motor activity, decreased mental reactions;
- 3 days without sleep – the appearance of unbearable headaches;
- 4 days without sleep – suppression of will, occurrence of hallucinations. This is the most dangerous form of deprivation, after which serious and irreversible processes occur in the body. There is a threat to human life.
Interesting fact.
Scientists have proven that depriving a person of sleep can bring him not only harm, but also benefit. As a result of numerous studies, it was found that depriving a person of a certain phase of sleep helps him get rid of a prolonged depressive state. Despite the paradox, this phenomenon has a simple explanation.
Sleep deprivation is stressful for the body. In this state, the production of catecholamines begins - special hormones responsible for emotional tone. Thanks to shock psychotherapy, an interest in life appears and a person begins to be active. Doctors do not recommend resorting to such treatment methods on your own. It must be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Maternal deprivation
The loss of a mother or prolonged deprivation of communication with her leads to maternal deprivation, which negatively affects the personal development of the baby. The following situations also have a negative impact on the child’s mental development:
- Woman goes to work too early
- Mother goes on a long business trip, session
- Separation from mother after difficult birth
- The child is sent to kindergarten very early
- Mother and child are separated due to illness
The situations listed above refer to open deprivation. There is also a hidden form, in which the mother is actually with her child, but there is psychological tension between them. What are the reasons for such deprivation? In psychology, the following reasons are identified:
- The mother’s excessive passion for scientific literature and “correct” parenting methods. The woman absolutely does not pay attention to the individual characteristics of the baby and does not listen to her intuition.
- Hostile or tense relationship between father and mother.
- The mother has health problems, as a result of which she cannot allocate sufficient time and fully care for the baby.
- The birth of similar children into a family. The mother is under constant stress and therefore cannot provide adequate care for the baby.
The risk group includes children born as a result of an unwanted pregnancy. This negatively affects the mother’s relationship with the child, who always subconsciously feels it. An important period in the development of a child is an early age - from 0 to 3 years. At this time, contact with the mother is important for the full development of the child’s psyche. Otherwise, internal aggression and depression arise. As an adult, such a child will not be able to build normal relationships with people around him. There is a theory that maternal mental deprivation is the cause of autism.
Paternal deprivation
The father should be involved in raising the child no less than the mother. Depriving a baby of emotional contact with his dad leads to paternal deprivation. What situations can lead to its appearance?
- lack of positive emotional relationships between father and child, despite the physical presence of a man in the house;
- father leaving the family;
- realization of ambitions by the child's father;
- violation of role positions in the family. In this case, the father takes over the maternal functions and vice versa.
How does paternal deprivation affect children's development? The child misidentifies his gender and becomes incompetent and emotionally vulnerable. This also affects the ability to properly build relationships with people, the inability to correctly and competently build relationships with one’s own children.
Consequences of psychological deprivation
Depriving a child of the opportunity to satisfy basic needs negatively affects the development of the brain and the formation of cognitive functions. The baby grows up disorganized and unsure of himself. He rarely smiles or expresses his emotions. His physical and mental development slows down, and dissatisfaction with himself and his own life develops.
As a result of psychological studies, it was revealed that for the normal, full development of a baby, you need to hug and kiss at least 8 times a day.
In adults, deprivation occurs against the background of a deprivation state experienced in childhood, this leaves an imprint on psychology. He feels unnecessary, cannot find his place in life, experiences depression, and a constant feeling of anxiety. It is possible to get out of this state, but long-term psychotherapeutic work with specialists is necessary.
Help for people who have suffered deprivation
Correctional and psychotherapeutic work has several stages and directions. Only careful and consistent study of each stage will help cope with the negative consequences that arise as a result of deprivation.
Areas of work:
- Working with self-esteem, improving relationships with people. A person learns to see the positive aspects of life situations, carefully analyze them and adequately evaluate them.
- Working with personal vulnerability. A person learns to perceive a situation without unnecessary emotions, learns prudence, and sees cause-and-effect relationships.
- Working with the identification of feelings. A person learns to interact with other people, express emotions, and understand the feelings of other people.
Working with a person who has faced deprivation can take place individually or in a group. The psychotherapist selects techniques and methods of work, focusing on what kind of deprivation has taken place in a person’s life, its duration and the degree of influence on the psyche. It is not advisable to correct the consequences yourself so that the situation does not worsen further.
Help
Not every deprivation syndrome requires the intervention of psychologists. Often a person can cope with this condition on their own or with the help of family and friends. There are plenty of examples. To get out of social deprivation, it is enough to sign up for dancing or another hobby group. The problem of lack of intellectual resources is solved by connecting to unlimited Internet. The deficit of tactile contacts disappears after the establishment of a love relationship. But, of course, more severe cases require a serious approach, and it is no longer possible to do without global assistance (sometimes at the state level).
Rehabilitation centers help cope with the consequences of childhood social deprivation, where the child receives not only attention and care, but also communication with peers. Of course, this only partially covers the problem, but it is important to make a start. The same applies to organizing free concerts or tea parties for retirees who also need communication.
Psychology also fights deprivation in other ways. For example, compensation and self-realization in other activities. Thus, people with disabilities often begin to engage in some kind of sport and participate in Paralympic competitions. Some people who have lost their arms discover a talent for drawing with their feet. But this applies to sensory deprivation. Severe emotional deprivation is difficult to compensate for. The help of a psychotherapist is needed.
