Deprivation - what is it in simple words

What is sensory deprivation

What is sensory deprivation? Sensory deprivation is a condition in which a person lacks information about the world around him, since his channels for receiving sensations from the analyzing systems are blocked. In this state, the brain begins to look for sensory images for processing not in the external environment, but in the internal world of the individual, as a result of which the individual’s anxiety increases and hallucinations appear.

In psychology, sensory deprivation is the beginning of the disintegration of personal structures and regression of mental activity. This opinion is explained by the fact that sensory deprivation is equated with emotional hunger, disrupting brain function.

The clinical picture of this condition has not yet been fully studied. In psychology, signs of sensory deprivation are considered to be such manifestations from the nervous system as:

• migraine attacks;
• dry mouth, itching sensation in the mouth;
• memory impairment, absent-mindedness, poor development of voluntary attention;
• difficulties in establishing cause-and-effect relationships;
• speech disorders;
• sleep problems;
• hallucinations, human generation of fantastic ideas;
• poor human orientation in time and space;
• mental disorders.

Emotional deprivation in psychology

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

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

Kinds

The concept of sensory deprivation has allowed scientists to classify this phenomenon into several types:

1. Cognitive discomfort. Probably everyone has experienced this state. In everyday life, we often have to make decisions in conditions of a lack of information, under the influence of external stimuli. Or another example: a person cannot choose between two new positions (let’s say his education requires retraining for both of these professions), as a result he remains in his previous job, and the need to study and master a new type of activity remains unrealized.
2. Tactile deprivation. This type of sensory deprivation occurs at home as a result of the mother’s emotional coldness towards the child. A lack of hugs, stroking, and kisses distorts the normal intellectual and emotional development of children.
3. Motor restriction. Scientists have found that a ban on freedom of movement leads to a person becoming apathetic and depressed after a few weeks. Under conditions of motor sensory deprivation, a person’s intellectual abilities are dulled.
4. Emotional hunger. This condition occurs as a result of a lack of communication in conditions of social isolation of the individual.
5. Existential discomfort. This type of deprivation arises as a result of the distorted formation of a sensory image of life goals and guidelines in people during crisis periods of life.
6. Educational and cultural deprivation. This disorder is caused by a decrease in educational motivation and cognitive interest of the individual. It manifests itself in the individual’s refusal to study new material, the inability to apply existing knowledge in practice, and ignoring cultural and educational events.

Types of deprivation

Depending on what human need is being limited, deprivation can be divided into groups:

Sensory

For the normal functioning of the human psyche, a constant supply of new sensations to the senses is required. Without the possibility of new experiences of touch, new tastes, smells and sounds, deviations will gradually develop in the individual’s mental state.

Cognitive

Gaining new knowledge is just as important as accessing new experiences. It is also called informational. Depriving a person of the opportunity to constantly receive new information will negatively affect his perception of the world, and in the long term, his intellectual abilities.

Social

It is expressed in depriving a person of his role in society. Most often this happens during the education stage. poorer socialization in adulthood

Emotional

It means the inability to enter into close emotional relationships with other individuals, or the severance of already formed relationships. The most common cases are family problems and difficulties finding a partner.

There are many other types of deprivation, however, they cannot be classified as psychological, although some of them have a direct impact on the psyche. So, for example, movement deprivation, which consists of depriving a person of the ability to walk and move in general, is a physiological problem. But people who encounter it most often have disruptions in the normal functioning of their psyche.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep is a vital need for any person. Its voluntary or forced deprivation for a long time promises serious problems with well-being and psyche. Experiments that involved limiting subjects' sleep were very popular in the 20th century.

Observing the subjects, scientists found that the first six days are characterized by an increasing feeling of fatigue, while the subsequent days are characterized by an aggravation of all senses, a state of euphoria and possible hallucinations of various types. Achieving such a state of altered consciousness in ancient times was often practiced by priests and shamans for “contact with other worlds.” Sleep deprivation for more than ten days is especially dangerous.

Sensory deprivation

In the second half of the 20th century, experiments were carried out that confirmed the need to obtain new sensations by the senses for the healthy psychological state of everyone. Many people, deprived of the opportunity to see new images, hear sounds and experience tactile sensations, had difficulty withstanding three days of such a test.

However, short-term restriction of one of the sources of information can also have a positive effect. So, wearing a blindfold or earplugs will help you calm down, concentrate on your own thoughts, and feel more comfortable.

Social deprivation

Social deprivation consists of the inability to communicate with other members of society. Like other types, it can be either voluntary or forced. An example of voluntary is the ascetic monks who chose life in cells. Coercive often goes against the wishes of the individual and is a form of punishment, for example, imprisonment.

Reasons for development

The causes of this disorder are considered to be:

• raising a child in a single-parent or large family;
• unfavorable psychological situation in the family;
• mistakes of family education;
• parents ignoring the child's needs;
• disrespect for the child’s personality on the part of peers or parents;
• raising a child in an orphanage;
• lack of bright positive emotions in the life of a child during preschool age;
• low self-esteem of the individual;
• weak type of nervous system in the child;
• organic pathology of one or more analyzing systems;
• a person’s inability to protect their rights and interests;
• stress in a child as a result of the death of parents;
• a person’s long stay in a medical isolation ward during treatment of an infectious disease;
• the cadet undergoes training in a closed cadet corps;
• stay of an adult in prison;
• emergency incidents that prevent a person from maintaining communication with loved ones and leaving the apartment;

Examples of cognitive deprivation

Information hunger is clearly manifested in certain living conditions. Employees of space and Antarctic stations, as well as crews of cruise ships, experience a pronounced hunger for information. Since communication with the “big” world has certain restrictions and implies only a professional conversation, a person feels an ever-increasing need to obtain various information.

Many people who are away from their family perceive various events negatively. Their minds are often overwhelmed by thoughts about possible adultery, the death of close relatives and other problems. The presence of negative thoughts that are not supported by evidence leads to decreased activity, anxiety, depression and insomnia. Under the influence of their own feelings, people begin to experience problems concentrating, which significantly reduces productivity.

Lack of information in professional activities leads to mistakes and interferes with making productive decisions

According to published data, in extreme conditions, information hunger can lead to the development of mental disorders requiring therapeutic intervention. Obtaining information of interest (even of a negative nature) makes it possible to partially eliminate neurotic symptoms, and sometimes completely eliminate them.

Many long-distance sailors write in their diaries that they feel a need to know how their family spends their evenings, what friends and relatives do, as well as about events happening in the world. Representatives of such professions say that they are interested even in various petty situations that happen to people they know.

Cognitive deprivation can also be observed in interpersonal relationships. These violations manifest themselves in the form of information depletion of interlocutors. With prolonged contact alone with each other, people cease to arouse interest in the second participant in the conversation. This phenomenon is especially pronounced in extreme conditions. As an example, the researchers cite a fact from the professional life of submarine employees.

At the stage of team formation, sailors, getting to know each other, exchange various information. Most often at this stage people exchange biographical information. A little later, the conversations cover many areas of life. People begin to discuss events that happened in their personal lives, books they read and films they watched. At a certain stage of communication, information exchange decreases, as people simply exhaust the topics for conversation. This fact is also talked about by many travelers who travel the world with a small group of like-minded people. Each of the participants in such a campaign gets the opportunity and time to speak out, but at a certain stage people simply lose the desire to talk with others.

There are special techniques for combating cognitive deprivation in extreme situations. One example of eliminating the need for various information is reading special lectures. It should also be noted that a group of people separated from the outside world experiences a spontaneous change of interlocutors. Most often, this situation occurs during the first three months of forced isolation. In special cases, the Internet can be a solution to this problem. Thanks to this type of obtaining information, many people have the opportunity to receive information about current events, even while at a distance from other people.

In everyday life, lack of information not only causes boredom, but also leads to more serious consequences

Treatment options

Therapy begins with a comprehensive diagnosis. Diagnosing sensory deprivation means diagnosing depression. If deviations from the norm are minimal, you can cope with this condition yourself with the help of auto-training and relaxation exercises. In case of severe negative symptoms, treatment methods should be chosen by a psychotherapist, clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.

Drug therapy

Drug treatment is prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of each clinical case. As a rule, therapy is based on a course of antidepressants, sedatives with the additional use of sleeping pills.

Mental correction

To achieve a lasting positive effect from treatment, drug therapy must be combined with psychocorrectional classes conducted by psychologists and psychotherapists.

Psychocorrection is aimed at changing negative stereotypes of individual behavior.

Complications

The effect of prolonged experience of sensory deficits negatively affects the functioning of the nervous system and brain. The simplest consequences of this phenomenon are: insomnia, absent-mindedness, mood swings. In severe cases, the disorder is associated with complications such as:

• distorted perception;
• memory impairment;
• disruption of biological rhythms in the body;
• increased personal and situational anxiety;
• loss of the ability to distinguish between hallucinations and reality.

It is impossible to cope with the severe consequences of sensory deprivation on your own. In these cases, consultation with a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist is required.

In children

Children with sensory deprivation often experience:

• exhaustion of the nervous system, decreased resistance to stress;
• mental disorders, neuroses;
• depression and stress;
• psychosomatic diseases;
• lag in the rate of motor, speech and intellectual development;
• emotional coldness, lack of empathy;
• deviant behavior, aggressiveness;
• formation of a victim position, lack of leadership qualities in the character structure;
• difficulties of social adaptation.

Sensory deprivation

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

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

My recommendations

Sensory deprivation is a common cause of various phobias and decreased self-esteem in children. Practicing psychologists have to not only form a positive image of the “I” in a child, but also correct negative behavioral deviations.

In my opinion, effective methods of working with clients who have experienced sensory hunger are hypnosis and all areas of art therapy.

One day a young man came to me complaining of panic attacks. I suggested that such an effect in the emotional-volitional sphere could be caused by sensory deprivation: the young man practiced yoga alone, meditated for hours, sitting without moving. Their reason was the guy’s passion for meditative techniques and yoga. It was difficult to work with him: achieving mutual understanding between me and the client was hampered by his conviction that independent yoga classes at home could not cause harm to the body.

In my opinion, the best prevention of sensory deprivation is full-fledged live communication, a rich life with vivid impressions, a balanced diet and systematic exercise.

Reasons for the development of sensory deprivation

Problems with the perception of the surrounding world are most often caused by physical disabilities of the 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, external causes of the development of the disease include a lack of parental love and disturbances in the functioning of sensory organs. 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 the age of three, 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 widely used as a means of combating many emotional conditions 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 both constructive and destructive effects on the human psyche. An important role in this matter is played by the level of emotional and mental preparation for such deprivations. In the case of an unprepared person, the appearance 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 deprivations allows a person to better understand his inner world and reveal new facets of his intellectual and creative capabilities.