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[46]
distantiating, objectivation and differentiating, which are in the same event
inadequately actualised in terms of the pedagogical norm. He is indeed obstructed in
his progress towards adulthood. The rate of his becoming is slowed down and his
progress is much slower than it ought to be; there is a developmentallag between the
level which the abused child has in fact attained and that what he should have been
on according to his potential. In short, there is a discrepancy between what the child
is and what he ought to be as a person. His actions ofascribing significance to matters,
of exerting himself, venturing forth, hoping, planning, fulfilling his future, valuing,
gaining insight, attaining the freedom to be responsible of accepting norms, are all of
an insufficient quality. "
Joubert (1978?) noted that a child must gain a thorough knowledge ofhis actualisable
potentialities. These potentialities must relate to the opportunities available for
actualisation. It is of little meaning for the abused child to realise that he can become
a responsible adult if the opportunities for the actualisation of his potentials do not
exist and are not created for him. The abused child must in other words gain an
understanding of the opportunities which are available in society. He must be brought
to understand the relation(ship) between his potentials and the available opportunities
for actualisation.
Differentiate has been used to describe the unfolding of the affectivity. The affeetivity
of the small child is global and diffuse. As a child grows older and "gets educated" his
affectivity gradually becomes differentiated into identifiable feelings which have been
classified as sensory-physical, social, intellectual, aesthetic, ethical or moral, and
religious. The feelings form the foundations for the entire intentionality of the child.
The reality of these feelings is of utmost importance for relevant research regarding
abused children, as these feelings will also form the foundations of the entire
intentionality of the abused child. Concurrently, with a differentiation of the affects,
differentiation is also inadequately actualised by the abused child in respect of
sensing-perceiving, motoric, imaging and imagining, memory and thinking, Le. the
abused child does not learn according to his learning abilities. The abused child is
hampered in his will to actualise his potentials. Without the need to learn and a