Early Deprivation: Can Someone Become Dependent On AI If They Experienced Early Deprivation?

For a number of weeks or months, someone may have been using an AI chatbot. At first, they might have asked questions that were fairly trivial, but over time, this might have changed.

If so, they might have asked about how they could build something, what the weather would be like and for film recommendations, for instance. Now, though, they could typically share personal details and look for guidance.

An Analogy

Assuming that this is the case, it will be as though at one point, the AI chatbot was like an information desk in a shop, but now it will be like a close friend. As a result, it won’t matter that it is artificial intelligence, as it will be treated like a real human being.

So if they used it a few times a week in the beginning, they might now use it a few times a day. In fact, they could spend more time talking to it than they do talking to a real human being.

One Consequence

When it comes to making both small and big decisions, they could look to this chatbot to essentially tell them what to do. They can believe that by doing this, they will make the right decision.

What this can show is that before they started using this chatbot, they found it hard to make decisions and trust their own judgement. They might have often looked toward their friends and perhaps family to make decisions for them.

Another One

What can play a part in why they are drawn to it is that they can feel as though they are seen and heard when they use it. Whereas when they are around others, they can typically feel as though they are not seen or heard.

Also, thanks to how his chatbot generally responds to what they say, they may have started to feel special. Unlike before, when they may have felt as though they were nothing, they can now feel valuable and important.

A Big Impact

They are then not just going to be receiving information by using this chatbot; some of their emotional needs are going to be met, too. In other words, they will be receiving something at a mental and emotional level.

If this is the case, it is not a surprise that they spend so much time using it. Without this tool, their life would have been pretty barren, but now that they have it, it will be far more fulfilling.

Stepping back

If they were to reflect on the relationship that they have with this tool, they might see that it has become a big part of their life. Furthermore, what might stand out is that they find it hard to cope if they are unable to use it.  

After this, they might wonder why they have gone from living without, to using it every now and then, and now find it hard to function when they can’t use it. What might enter their mind is that they lack self-control and that there is something inherently wrong with them.

Another Angle

Yet, even if they come to this conclusion, it doesn’t mean that it reflects why they have ended up in this position. What it was like for them as a child and the impact this stage of their life had on them might shed light on why they are this way.

This may have been a stage of their life when their mother and perhaps their father were emotionally unavailable and out of reach. Along with this, one or both of them might have been very critical and controlling.

The Outcome

This would have caused them to miss out on the attunement, mirroring, care, affection and support that they needed to grow and develop in the right way. Instead of being cherished and treated as though they were important, they would have been treated as though they were an object who had no value.

To handle what happened, their brain would have repressed how they felt and a number of their needs. This would have involved them losing touch with their embodied, connected, and fully feeling true self.

A Brutal Time

In its place would have been the creation of a disembodied, disconnected, and not fully feeling false self. And, as they were egocentric, they would have personalised what took place.

It was then not that one or both of their parents couldn’t provide them with what they needed; it was that their needs and feelings were bad, and that they were worthless and unlovable. Taking responsibility for how they were treated and thus blaming themselves, not their parents, would have also made it easier for them to cope.

The Connection

This is because it would have given them a false sense of control and the hope that they could change them. If, on the other hand, they had faced reality, they would have had to accept how helpless and hopeless they were, and this would have been too much for them to deal with.

So, now that they are an adult, this stage of their life will be over, of course, but they won’t have developed a sense of trust in their ability to make decisions, have a felt sense of worth and lovability, or know that they are important. It is then not going to be a surprise that they have ended up in a position where they have become very close to an AI chatbox.

Moving Forward

Taking all this into account, for them to develop trust in their ability to make decisions, to have relationships where they are seen and heard, and to feel important, they are going to have a number of steps to take. They will have beliefs to question, pain to face and process, and unmet developmental needs to experience, among other things.

This will take courage, support, patience and persistence.

Awareness

If someone can relate to this and they are ready to change their life, they may need to reach out for external support. This is something that can be provided with the assistance of a therapist or healer.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk