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not know". It may also lead to a lack of organisation and insufficient structuring in
respect of his quest for knowledge, so that he fails to discover the essentials of life.
Ironically, he tries to escape the danger by retreating into an experiential world which
is already "unsafe"; and by safeguarding himself by way of passivity, thus further
decreasing his gnostic-eognitive mobility. Action and activity (in the sense of wanting
to explore, emancipate, etc. of one's own accord) consequently comes to a virtual halt,
hence, the abused child's orientation is inadequate.
(D Inadequate learning
The educative dialogue is always a point where the subjective interpretations of an
adult and a child intersect, and where shortcircuits may occur. It is accordingly also
clear that no child learns automatically. To be able to learn, a child must actively
direct himself to the content emotionally speaking, and also involve himself
intellectually. The affective mode of learning is sensing, also qualified as an
accompanying or concomitant mode of learning. It is the consistent preparation and
introduction to all cognitive modes of learning. It is the initial stage of becoming
involved with the content, where the child actually becomes aware of it. When he
subsequently opens up to the content in order to assimilate it into his own experiential
world by means of his perceptions, thoughts, etc. he is paying attention to the content
and learning it (Van Niekerk 1987: 25).
The child's fund of experience reflects a hierarchy of values and significances, which
reflect the way in which things have been meaningfully experienced, e.g. stabile or
labile in the affective sense, or cognitively organised or disorganised. Those
experiences which he has not meaningfully integrated or digested (usually manifested
in terms of anxiety, uncertainty, insecurity and ignorance) constantly force themselves
to awareness. In his efforts to learn, he experiences difficulties in breaking through
these subjective moments of sensing in order to focus on the material to be learned
in an organised way. This is the prerequisite to remaining involved with or paying
attention to the contents by way of perceiving, thinking and so forth (Van Niekerk
1987: 25).