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We know human touch is important and that a lack of it will cause severe psychological problems. The evidence is from Russian orphans with kids who were never
by sjg007 7y ago
We know human touch is important and that a lack of it will cause severe psychological problems. The evidence is from Russian orphans with kids who were never held or touched. There is also evidence with monkeys and the wire doll mothers. This falls under the wider psychological theory Attachment and need for the infant to have its needs met which is very dependent on the parent. Attachment is probably a life long thing too.
As kids develop they shift from being parent oriented to peer oriented.
There are some cultural aspects as well, you see this largely expressed in greetings and maybe extended family interactions.
As for a rat pup or infant refusing affection it is a warning sign for autism spectrum disorder for sure.
- drakonka 7y agoEven though I've jokingly been told I may be on the spectrum due to my difficulty relating to some emotions, I was under the impression that autistic children usually have speech delays and don't really want human attention, which definitely wasn't the case for me - I just didn't want human _affection_ as a kid, but was perfectly happy to talk and bug my parents to play games with me. Either way I fear I'm going down a path of the kind of self-analysis that is best left to a professional, so I'll leave it at that and enjoy feeling well-adjusted even if it's all an illusion :D