Sunday 24 November 2013

The Sad Case of Genie

The case of Genie, a child found in horrid living conditions in the 1970s, has been a cornerstone case study of A Level students in the United Kingdom.

Decades later, and there continues to be a plethora of children who come to the public's attention due to parental negligence, such as Baby P. However Jones (2013) maintains that despite an increase in case referrals directly following Baby P's death, government cuts have meant that charities and organisations that would normally be able to intervene or support families are unable to.

Evidently, child neglect will continue be a source of study and concern for the public and psychologists for decades to come. I only wish it weren't.

Below is a documentary of Genie. Genie's case was one full of twists and turns with, arguably, a message to highlight the ethical issues of becoming attached to a child whom is the subject of psychological testing.


References:

Jones, R. 2013. Baby P legacy five years on: What is the impact? The Guardian. [online] 11th November. Available at: <http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2013/nov/11/baby-p-legacy-impact-on-child-protection> [Accessed 24 November 2013].