The strange case of Genie

Genie, or Susan M. Wiley, is one of the people who is part of the list of the so-called “feral children” or “feral children”. The appearance of these little ones has been documented for several centuries and many myths have been woven around them. It is said that they have been raised by wolves, by dogs, by goats, but none of this has been completely documented.

What is known is that All of these feral children come from abandonment or severe forms of isolation and that is why they acquire characteristics that many call “wild.”. Their development has occurred outside of human society and that is why they present behaviors different from those of the species.

Genie’s case

Genie’s case is one of the best documented that exists to date.. She was a girl born in 1957, in a suburb of California. She lived with her parents and a brother, in a rather sordid environment. Her father and her mother had fights that included physical violence; Clark, her father, suffered from depression; and Irene, her mother, had a problem of progressive blindness.

Between the ages of two and thirteen, Genie had no contact with the outside world. She was cloistered in a sealed room, without any objects on the walls, and tied to a chamber pot.. At night she was locked and tied in a cage. Her only link to the world was her father. She was forbidden to make any kind of sound and if she did, Clark would hit her or bark at her as if he were a dog to scare her.

The other inhabitants of the house also remained isolated, but were allowed to go out from time to time. The father watched them from a chair, with a loaded gun in his hand.. Everyone was forbidden to speak to Genie, even her mother.

The exterior world

The person who received them noticed that the girl was acting very strange and could barely pronounce some sounds; She also walked in an abnormal way. That’s why she reported the case and Genie was taken into state custody..

At the California Children’s Hospital, a long and eventful treatment began, as well as a strong debate. The treatment was intended to help him learn to speak and socialize; The debate revolved around the effect of socialization on brain development. In Genie’s case, it was as if his left hemisphere had been removed.

It was one of the researchers who He gave the girl the name “Genie”, alluding to the fact that she was like, in Aladdin’s Lamp, a genie who wanted to get out.. This researcher took her to her house so that she could live in a suitable environment and then wanted to adopt her. The authorities refused, even though the girl showed great signs of improvement.

Thus, they returned her to the hospital; They then returned custody to the mother and then went through six foster homes. Her development process stopped, and even at some moments it regressed. Finally, she was placed in charge of an institution for adults with cognitive disabilities, but a court order prevents giving more information about her.

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Image courtesy of Brittanie Pendleton.