The case of feral children

Why biology isn’t enough to make us human.

Being human is an extremely complex issue. Is it simply a matter of genetics, or is it something that must be learned?

Ever since feral children have been studied for hundreds of years, the answers to this question have always been elusive. By studying them, we learn there are problems with biology providing the blueprint of what will one day be a building, but unless human beings are socialised, the building will never be built according to the blueprint.

In addition, we will also discuss how the developmental process of humans requires more than just nature and will show the cases of feral children, such as Genie and Victor, to illustrate that socialisation is the secret ingredient in making us humans.

What is a Feral Child?

A “feral child” is a young individual who has had no human contact during their formative years and has typically had very minimal to no human interaction, social development or the acquisition of language skills (EBSCO, n.d.).

Typically, the academic community classifies feral (or so-called “wild”) children into two classifications:

1. Isolated, confined (e.g., Genie’s case) — children have been kept in a basement or otherwise isolated from society by an abusive parent or caretaker; and
2. Wild, animal-reared (e.g., “wolf-girls,” Amala and Kamala) — children have lived in a wild environment typically with the assistance of animals.

While the image of “a child raised by wolves” conjures up images of one of our favorite characters from The Jungle Book, the actual reality is not so whimsical. Most feral children are reported to demonstrate “animal-like” characteristics, including: (a) walking on all fours (b) growling in place of vocalizing their words (c) developing a superior sense of smell than that of common house pets; (d) exhibiting no social graces (i.e., lack of manners or cultural norms). (Scribd, n.d.).

The Language Barrier: The Critical Period Hypothesis

The most important takeaway from the studies and research of feral children is that there is a critical period for acquiring language–what is called the Critical Period Hypothesis. A theory first proposed in 1967 by Eric Lenneberg, the Critical Period Hypothesis states that there is a biological time frame (known as the “critical period”) during which we are most likely to learn a first language. The critical period ends at approximately the time of puberty (Sharma, in press).

Genie’s Case
Genie (real name Susan) was discovered in 1970 at the age of 13; she had spent almost her entire life strapped to a potty chair in a darkened, isolated room. Although she obtained a number of words in her vocabulary, she was unable to master the complexities of grammar and syntax (Study.com, n.d.,). Her brain had actually changed due to lack of linguistic stimulation/experience at the most “plastic” time of life for a person.

In essence, the fact that we have the capacity to acquire language when born with that ability does not guarantee that we will be able to do so as adults; therefore, we will have to be exposed to the social environment to “turn on” the linguistic hardware in our brain. If not, they will shut down.

Socialisation: Learning How to Feel

Our capacity for emotion comes from what biology provides us with: the nervous system. Our capacity to feel emotions is taught to us by society. As noted above, feral children seem to have an astonishingly low level of empathy or any of the more complex human emotions associated with being embarrassed or guilty.

This shows in research conducted on sociology when looking at the effects of primary socialization. Primary socialization refers to the first steps of learning the norms and values of a culture and forms the foundation for developing those behaviors we define as “human” (Scribd, n.d.). Feral children often learn to “mirror the behaviors of their environment” by imitating what they see their surroundings doing. For example, children raised by dogs would bark like dogs, whereas children raised in complete isolation from humans would remain silent and would therefore fail to develop a bond or interest in other humans (GoodTherapy, 2018).

The Physicality of Humanity

Believe it or not, even “natural” physical actions, for example, walking upright, are not entirely biological in their nature. For example, feral kids such as Dina Sanichar (the “Wolf-Boy of India”) were found to have been walking on all fours on their hands and knees. They had callousness on their palms and knees according to research.

Thus, although humans are built to be bipeds, the development of motor skills and muscle strength required to support an upright gait can be learned only through social imitation. So, it appears that if we don’t have a “human mirror” as a way to reflect our potential, then we have no choice but to return to the most efficient methods of survival available in our immediate environment.

Why Biology Isn’t Enough?

Feral child research shows that being human has two components, nature and nurture. Nature is biology (i.e., brain structure, reflexes, physical activities), and nurture is society (i.e., ethics, language, identity).

According to Research Starters, socialization is necessary because unlike all other animals, humans do not have instinctual guides (EBSCO, n.d.). We do not have an instinctual ability to build a house or cook a meal – we learn these things from our culture. Without culture, the biological machine still is a “human,” but does not function like one.

The Social Animal

The heartbreaking examples of feral children demonstrate that, at our core, we are social beings. Humanity is not the result of a gift or inheritance, but is the result of our ability to form relationships with each other.

If you found this article’s investigation of psychology and human growth interesting, share this article and answer the following question: What quality do you feel is the most “human”?

References

EBSCO. (n.d.). Feral child. Research Starters: Social Sciences and Humanities. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/feral-child

GoodTherapy. (2018, January 17). Feral children. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/feral-children

McNeil, Mary & Polloway, Edward & Smith, J.. (1984). Feral and isolated children: Historical review and analysis.. Education & Training of the Mentally Retarded. 70-79.

Scribd. (n.d.). Understanding feral children and socialization. https://www.scribd.com/document/681616494/Feral-Children-Notes-Sociology-A-Levels

Sharma, N. (n.d.). The critical period hypothesis. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/critical-period-hypothesis-33757412/33757412

Study.com. (n.d.). Feral children | Definition, problems & documented cases. https://study.com/academy/lesson/feral-children-definition-stories-cases.html