FERAL CHILDREN Feral Children are abandon children that are raised outside of society and survive with

little or no human contact. Peter Peter was discovered in 1724 by a farmer, Jargen Meyer. The boy appeared to be about 12 years old and could not speak. He was able to get him to the hospital by showing two apples in his hands. While in the hospital he was given the name Peter. Initial observations showed he had no signs of civility. He often waited on all fours for a chance to escape. Instead of sleeping in the bed provided, he opted to sleep on a straw pallet on the floor. Further observation showed that he would capture birds, tear them apart, and ate them in pieces. He didnt like to wear cloths, but eventually tolerated them. King George and Queen Caroline then took him in. Many tried to get Peter to talk, but the best he could do was ki sho, which meant King George, and qui ca, which meant Queen Caroline. He enjoyed music and even hummed his favorite songs. He was taught how to do some easy domestic work, under supervision, but never once did he laugh. King George and Queen Caroline eventually turned the boy over to Dr. Arbuthnot. After studying Peter for 2 months he concluded that Peter did not have the mental capacity to learn. The King and Queen then had him placed with a farmer, Peter died in 1785. The Wild Boy of Aveyron Victor Victor was found on January 9, 1800 in a village of Saint-Serin in the South of France. He became the first feral child to be studied by practitioners of the newly emerging human sciences. Eyewitness Constant-Saint-Estaves account three weeks after his capture states: I found him sitting by a warm fire, which he seemed to enjoy, but showin g signs of uneasiness from time to time, probably because of the great crowd of people around him When I talked to him, it did not take long to discover he was a mute. Soon after that, when I noticed that he made no response to various questions I put him, in both a loud and soft voice, I decided that he must be deaf.When we reached my house, I decided he must be hungryTo find out what he liked, I had my servant offer him on a big earthernware platter raw and cooked meat, rye, and wheat bread, apples, pears, grapes, nuts, chestnuts, acorns, potatoes, parsnips, and an orange. He picked up the potatoes confidently and tossed them into the firs to cook them. One at a time he seized the other items, smelled them, and rejected them. With his right hand he picked the potatoes right out of the live coals and ate them roasting hot. There was no way to persuade him to let them cool off a little.When he got thirsty, he glanced around the room. Noticing the pitcher, he placed my hand in his without any other sign and led me to the pitcherSome wine was brought, but he scorned it and showed impatience at my delay in giving him water to drink (cited in Shattuck 1980, 6-7) adapted from Sociology: a Critical Introduction 1996, 111. Victor was not toilet trained and would go anywhere when he felt the need. When he was first in the hospital when dressed, Victor tore the cloths off. He would not sleep in the bed and he would try to escape whenever he could. Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre noted that the boy was about 12 or 13 years old. He also noted that his body was covered in scars and stated that the boy had no malformation of the tongue or mouth or vocal cords. He also observed that Victor relied on his senses in a different order than others. Victors sense of smell came first, then taste, and then touch. After studying him, Bonnaterre concluded that the boy was an imbecile. Victors case was also taken on by Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard. He worked with deaf children. Itard did not believe Victor was an imbecile and he was going to try and socialize the boy. Itard wrote, Humans are only what they have been made to be. Any human being has to learn his or her habits, needs, and ideas, and does so by imitating others under the influence of society. Itard taught Victor to learn how to dress himself, use the bathroom properly, and even showed him some letters. Victor even learned how to say some words. Other several years he displayed evidence of both intellectual and emotional growth. Victor

eventually could set the table, garden, and saw wood. Itard eventually tired of his work and left Victor in the car of Mme Guerin. Victor died at the age of 40 in 1828. More Recent Studies Anna and Isabella Kingsley Davis studied two extreme cases of isolation 1947. Anna was born in 1932, a child of a farm girl with a disapproving father. Anna was put up for adoption, but after 5 months she was taken back to her family. They put her in the attic and paid very little attention to her. She was removed from the house when she turned six. At this time she could not walk, talk, or do anything that showed intelligence. She was extremely malnourished. While under her mothers care she was pretty much only fed cows milk. They discovered Isabella about 9 months after Anna. Again, this child was born to an illegitimate mother that was forced to keep her. Isabella had no chance to learn to speak or to communicate because the time spent with her mother was in the dark, plus her mother was deaf. Isabella was afraid of strangers and made croaking sounds. Since she spent her time in the dark and she had an improper diet, she had rickets. Her legs were also extremely bowed. Genie Genie was discovered in 1970. She had been locked in an isolated room in her parents house for appro ximately 18 months. When they found her she was about 13 years old. She was discovered only after her 50 year old mother applied for social assistance. When authorities saw Genie they called the police right away. They described her as: a small withered, stooped girl who could barely walk and who held her hands up as though resting them on an invisible rail. ( Sociology: a critical introduction, 1996, 117.) Characteristics: Weight- 59 pounds Height- 54 inches Incontinent Unable to chew Barely able to swallow Unable to focus her eyes beyond 12 feet Unable to cry Could not fully extend her arms or legs Could not tell the difference between hot and cold Spoke very little. Stopit, Nomore, and other negative She only understood about 20 words

Although Genies parents were charged with willful abuse, neither went to jail. Her 70 year old father committed suicide, and the charges were dropped against the mother because she was suffering under her husbands abuse too. Genie arrived at the hospital extremely malnourished. She could not stand up straight, walk, jump, or run. She was also extremely silent and constantly masturbated. While at the hospital she did begin to change: After 7 months She walked unsteadily Became somewhat toilet trained. Learned some new words Spoke some single words

After another month She began to put two words together

After 12 months She pronounced some verbs She began to put three words together

Unlike other children, Genie new very little grammar and did not learn to ask questions. Researchers argued that the reason for this was because Genie missed a critical stage in language development. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Socialization is a complex, lifelong process. The following discussions highlight the work of six researchersSigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, George Herbert Mead, and Erik H. Eriksonwho have made lasting contributions to our understanding of human development. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Socialization is the process by which human beings as material organisms living with other material organisms must learn to pattern their behavior, and adapt it to the ways of acting that are considered appropriate to that society in which they live. Basically, it's how you learn how to act. Socialization goes hand in hand with enculturation, which is the process by which human beings as intelligent, reflexive creatures living together with other similar organisms must pattern their way of thinking and feeling and adapt it to the ways of thinking and feeling considered appropraite in their society. Pretty much how people learn how to think and feel about certain actions. Examples of these (which I'm stealing from my soc prof.) are a little boy going to kindergarten and learning how to "walk like a man" and not to cry for his mommy. This is socialization. Enculturation would be when this little boy says that if a little boy doesn't act in certain ways he's a "sissy." Primary socialization (as a child) is important because it sets the ground work for all future socialization. And socialization and enculturation allow humans to adapt to their environment (ex. work, school, home, with friends) and act appropraitely. Adding onto this...If you'll excuse me for being a little crude, this is reply to Jack a few comments below. Kids are kind of like puppies in this respect. They need to be taken out and given the chance to interact with people and other dogs so they know how to act. Parents who home school their children need to make it a point to get their kids out of the house, either by joining something like the girl scouts or 4-H, or by going to the park on a regular basis to play with and meet other children. I don't think that's a major concern though, as all the home taught children I know are very well adjusted and their parents did help facilitate their proper socialization. These kids also seem to be socialized better (though "better" is open to interpretation) because the parents have more control over who the kids are hanging out with. Not saying that we should ignore the kids who bully others or have crack heads for parents, but in reality who wants their kid to be friends with them? To be fair, they need friends and good role models too...just not my kid during his or her formative years. (That's horrible, I know...I shouldn't be that naive.) ___________________________________________________________________________________ Socialization (or socialisation) is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies, providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within his or her own society. Socialization i s thus the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained.
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Socialization describes a process which may lead to desirable, or 'moral', outcomes. Individual views on certain issues, such as race or economics, may be socialized (and to that extent normalized) within a society. Many socio-political theories postulate that socialization provides only a partial explanation for human beliefs and behaviors, maintaining that agents are not 'blank

slates' predetermined by their environment. Scientific research provides some evidence that people might be shaped by both social influences and genes.
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[3]

Genetic studies have shown that a person's environment interacts with his or her genotype to

influence behavioral outcomes. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Stages of Socialization Richard Moreland and John Levine (1982)
[full citation needed]

created a model of group socialization based upon the assumption that

individuals and groups change their evaluations and commitments to each other over time. Since these changes happen in all groups, Moreland and Levine speculate that there is a predictable sequence of stages that occur in order for an individual to transition through a group. Moreland and Levine identify five stages of socialization which mark this transition; investigation, socialization, maintenance, resocialization, and remembrance. During each stage, the individual and the group evaluate each other which leads to an increase or decrease in commitment to socialization. This socialization pushes the individual from prospective, new, full, marginal, and ex member. Stage 1: Investigation This stage is marked by a cautious search for information. The individual compares groups in order to determine which one will fulfill their needs ( reconnaissance), while the group estimates the value of the potential member (recruitment). The end of this stage is marked by entry to the group, whereby the group asks the individual to join and they accept the offer. Stage 2: Socialization Now that the individual has moved from prospective member to new member, they must accept the groups culture. At this stage, the individual accepts the groups norms, values, and perspectives ( assimilation), and the group adapts to fit the new members needs (accommodation). The acceptance transition point is then reached and the individual becomes a full member. However, this transition can be delayed if the individual or the group reacts negatively. For example, the individual may react cautiously or misinterpret other members reactions if they believe that they will be treated differently as a new come r. Stage 3: Maintenance During this stage, the individual and the group negotiate what contribution is expected of members (role negotiation). While many members remain in this stage until the end of their membership, some individuals are not satisfied with their role in the group or fail to meet the groups expectations (divergence). Stage 4: Resocialization -If the divergence point is reached, the former full member takes on the role of a marginal member and must be resocialized. There are two possible outcomes of resocialization: differences are resolved and the individual becomes a full member again (convergence), or the group expels the individual or the individual decides to leave ( exit). Stage 5: Remembrance In this stage, former members reminisce about their memories of the group, and make sense of their recent departure. If the group reaches a consensus on their reasons for departure, conclusions about the overall experience of the group become part of the groups tradition.