Mental Retardation and Emotional Acrescentism (Deprivation)1

When Dudley Potts was admitted to a state institution for the mentally retarded at age eleven his record stated: 'Mental Status: Imbecile; I.Q. 43. Highest grade: 1st. Expression dull, mouth breather. Incorrect answers to even simple questions. Father and Mother Mental Defectives.' Ten years later there is an entry in the chart: 'This is a dull, slow boy … he requires supervision. He does not enter into games, associates little with the other boys.' Twelve years after admission another entry reads: 'Moderately bright… His work has to be closely supervised. He attempts to fabricate to make up for his lack of knowledge as well as his physical deficiency… Inclined to be expansive… Claims that he had been in the Institution 6 years and reached 5th grade outside.' Thirteen years after admission, there is an entry in the chart: 'Said he was sent here for playing truant from school', and fourteen years after admission: 'States that he is 15 years of age (actually 25 years), cannot give his date of birth. Oriented for place but not for time.' Another entry twenty-seven years after admission reads: 'Dudley was placed on outside work. Talked of how happy he was to go out… Employer complained about slowness and that he had to be with him constantly and tell him what to do (routine work). He also stated that Dudley resents to be told what to do.' It states that 'the employer was disappointed in patient, wanted to let him go same month (but the social worker apparently was able to talk him into keeping Dudley a little longer). He says he has done something and when he checks on it, it is not done. He may give one cow four times as much