ADULTS ABUSED AS CHILDREN.   Term Paper ID:16761 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Incidence, effects (employment problems, alcoholism, relationships, depression, anomie), types of abuse, promiscuity.... More...

8 Pages / 1800 Words 12 sources, 19 Citations, APA Format $32.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Incidence, effects (employment problems, alcoholism, relationships, depression, anomie), types of abuse, promiscuity. Paper Introduction: Adults Who Have Been Abused as Children: A Profile Introduction According to Tomlinson-Keasey (1985), child abuse is of such proportions that each day in this country, abusive parents are responsible for the deaths of two children. In addition, about 500,000 children are beaten, burned, thrown and generally battered without losing their lives; and these figures represent a low estimate because: (1) they do not include emotional and verbal abuse; and (2) not all cases of physical abuse are re-ported. Moreover, this estimate does not include cases of sexual abuse which Adams and Tucker (1982) estimate occurs to thousands more children. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Several authors have explored for the nature ofthis influence. (1979). One further point that may be noted with respect to thecharacteristics of abused children is that they are more likely to bephysically abused if they are stepchildren, or if they are mentallyretarded or have physical handicaps or chronic illnesses (Lightcap, Kurland& Burgess, 1982; Parke & Lewis, 1981). Gil, E. & Lewis, N.G. J. (1982). Kaplan, S. As individuals do begin to review and deal with past abuse," Gilreports that they undergo intense feelings of anger toward their parents,an upwelling of much of the fear they felt as children but suppressed, andintense shame over accepting them-selves as abused children. Oates (Ed.), Child abuse: A community concern. Child Development, 5 , 3 6-318. In summary then, it is important to note that many adults suffer fromthe hidden psychological damage of child abuse. Over the last two decades there has been extensive research aimed atdetermining the psychological and behavioral con-sequences that result fromindividuals being abused as children. New York: Academic Press. New York: Penguin Books. P. Child abuse: Alist of some predictions from evolutionary theory. (1982). Or, certain innatecharacteristics might have operated to modify the con-sequences ofchildhood abuse. Frequently, such lapses are associated with guiltfeelings and the fact that the adult some-how feels that he or she wasresponsible for the abuse and some-how remembering events will prove thisresponsibility. Moreover, this estimate does not include cases of sexual abusewhich Adams and Tucker (1982) estimate occurs to thousands more children. ThomasPublishing Ltd. Butler, S. References Adams-Tucker, C. 3. Adult victims of child abuse hurt when they are alone and hurt whenthey are with people. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Child development: Psychological,sociocultural and biological factors. Child abuse and neglect and sexualabuse. In this regard, it may be noted that althoughan adult victim may be functional, the subconscious memory of childhoodabuse takes away from the quality of life and the capacity of theindividual to form loving relationships. In childhood, the feelings thatcontribute to this adult behavior are: (1) a craving for love from theaggressor; (2) inability to resist the incestuous advances; (3) in somecases, enjoyment of the physical feelings, although in other cases therecan be repulsion; (4) strong desires for secrecy usually associated withgreat stress; and (5) intense guilt. In physically abused children between 1 and 3 years of age, Georgeand in (1979) noted that some children tend to antagonize their parents andthus increase the likelihood of attack. Apparently, many victims of sexual abuse viewadult sexual behavior as, simply a "replay" of their childhood trauma--andas a result, do not enjoy adult sexual behavior and activities. Forward, S. 2. Psychopathological behavior - Some abused children have complexpsychological problems including such things as person-ality disorders.These psychopathological conditions can vary from the serious conditionssuch as paranoia and multiple personality disorder to the less seriousconditions of inflexible personalities, low self-esteem, problems informing adult relationships and chronic dissatisfaction with life. (1982). With respect to the adult manifestations of these early reactions toincest, Forward and Buck (1987) note that: As the victim grows older, her guilt often makes her self-destructive- -she punishes herself for the "sin" she imagines herself to have committed. This point has been succinctly stated by TomlinsonKeasey (1985) who note that: Infants, toddlers, school-age children, and adolescents who are abused are not necessarily passive or random targets for adult violence. Second, parentsare more likely to be abusers if they were themselves abused as children.Perhaps the most important of parent characteristics associated with abuseis the fact that the majority of abusive parents have extremely un-realistic expectations and notions of how to manage children. However, in other cases, the hostilitythat is used as a defense against feeling trust for others can generalizeto both sexes. Sexualdynamics of antisocial behavior. Abused children--what eventually happens. Outgrowing the Pain: A Book for And About AdultsAbused As Children. Homewood, IL: The Dorsey Press.----------------------- 11 Socially deviant - adults who were abused as children tend toshow social deviancy primarily in the form of becoming child abusersthemselves. Occasionally, childhood abuse manifests itself in adulthood in theform of psychosomatic symptoms rather than the commonbehavioral patterns or sometimes both occur. Additional insight into adult manifestations of childhood abuse hasbeen offered by Martin (1982). (1981). Understand-ing childbehavior disorders. Henderson (Ed.), Parent-child interaction. In this regard, Kaplan and Pelcovits(1982) have noted that children are more likely to be physically abused iftheir temperament is such that it leads to a lack of responsiveness on thepart of the child. A., & Burgess, R. However, intime, these feelings are replaced with relief in that they are now freed ofthe energy drain devoted to suppressing their thoughts and feelingsregarding the abuse. Such characteristics might include an innate ability tosoothe oneself or a strong social respon-siveness. More central to the purpose of this paper is the fact that certaintemperament characteristics appear to be more frequently observed in abusedchildren than in nonabused children. Lightcap, J., Kurland, J. & Buck, C. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Tomlinson-Keasey, C. The crucial correlate of both physical and sexual abuse is lack oftrust in adult relationships; this because the abuse in children is abetrayal of trust at a time of extreme vulner-ability (Butler, 1985).Sometimes, this problem of trust is present only for people who are thesame sex as the abusive parent. Adults Who Have Been Abused as Children: A Profile Introduction According to Tomlinson-Keasey (1985), child abuse is of suchproportions that each day in this country, abusive parents are responsiblefor the deaths of two children. While authors such as Gil have examined the psychological/ behavioralramifications of abuse, other researchers haveexplored for the determinants of abuse. George, C, & Main, K. (1983). Thisfacet concerns sexuality. They tend to have unstable relationships; and if theform of abuse was sexual, they can be-have promiscuously even if they arenot especially sexually responsive. In F.W. It can cause rage, violent andabusive behavior, mood swings, multiple personalities and otherpsychopathological conditions. In other cases, the damage isless hidden and takes the form of alcohol problems, depression, or marriageto an abusive spouse. One category of abuse not as yet discussed but which also has beenobserved to yield significant influence over the adult life is sexual abuseof children by parents. They tend tointerpret children's failure to behave in accord with these unrealisticexpectations as a form ofpersonal attack against themselves and their parental authority. NewYork: Volcano Press. However, before re-viewing Martin'sdepiction of adults abused as children it is important to note that thisdepiction is tentative; this because most studies of this kind aredescriptive rather than causal in nature. Parke, R.D. Betrayal of innocence: Incest and itsdevastation. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 1252-1256. (1982). In this regard, it has been estimated that about 2 percent ofabused children become abusive parents. In this regard, suchindividuals frequently suffer from chronic stress-related conditions likemigraines, stomach ailments, and skin disorders. The purpose of this paper is toreview a sampling of this re-search and so arrive at a clinical profile ofadults who have been abused as children. (1988). Regarding the temperament characteristics of abused children, it isimportant to note that these characteristics do not serve as an excuse forparental abuse but they do serve to complete our understanding of thenature of the problem. Some aspect of their behavior, whether intended or not, primes the parent's loss of control. Also counteractingsocial influences might have been present which, in turn, lessened theimpact of the abuse. Physical handicaps - Battering and neglect of children canresult in adult physical disabilities such as retardation and language andmotor difficulties. In general,these patterns include: (1) difficulties finding and maintainingemployment; (2) alcohol problems; (3) problems related to marriage to anabusive spouse; (4) depression; and (5) a general and pervasive feeling of"wandering" through life without goals or direction. Regarding the origins of physical abuse, Gelfand and associates(1982) have noted that there are several sets of factors responsible forchildhood abuse. New York: Brunnerftkzel. Among school age children, one ofthe most frequent forms of antagonism is verbal disrespect or aggression. In almost every case of people with psychological and be-havioralproblems stemming from childhood abuse, Gil (1983) has noted that clientstend to rationalize and minimize their parents abusive behavior utilizingselective memory in which the most negative situations are only partiallyrecalled. For example, in resent findings doctors found that onecause of learning disabilities is from brain trauma as a result of physicalabuse. Conspiracy of silence: The trauma of incest. Social interactions of young abusedchildren: Approach, avoidance and aggression. She attributes this process of selective memory to the fact thatmany victims of child abuse secretly feel guilty and responsible for whathappened to them. In addition, about 5 , children arebeaten, burned, thrown and generally battered without losing their lives;and these figures represent a low estimate because: (1) they do not includeemotional and verbal abuse; and (2) not all cases of physical abuse are re-ported. One final point noted by Martin is that there are some children who,as adults, do not evidence the negative con-sequences of abuse that are sooften observed in the literature. Schlesinger, L.B., Phd., & Revitch, E. InK. (1985). New York: Dell Publishing. Proximate effects of sexual abuse inchildhood. Therecan also be a drive to be incompetent and fail at many things. If promiscuityis not present, the incest victim or physical abuse victim (both are self-punishing) will often have an abusive spouse which then "dishes out" thepunishment and derogation the victim's guilt feelings so demand. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 5, 321-332. Aggressive - As adults, abused children, especially boys,engage in various forms of assaultive behavior toward others which can varyfrom verbal hostilities to criminal behavior. For example, Schlesinger andRevitch (1983) have presented an extensive discussion of the origins ofsexual abuse in children and a comprehensive review of the literature onthe origins of physical abuse has been provided by Gelfand, Jenson and Drew(1982). (1985). First, abusive parents tend to believe strongly inphysical punishment as a means of disciplining children. The author attributes the ability toavoid these negative consequences to one or more of several factors. 525). A report. She suffers a fundamental lack of self-confidence and self- respect; she feels undeserving of emotional, physical, or material satisfaction (p.22). Sometimes these problems occur in addition tothe common behavioral patterns of abuse and sometimes they supplant thesepatterns. Looking at the victims as contributing to their own abuse may seem callous and misdirected but defining the child's contribution is necessary if we are to understand what happens in families resorting to abuse (p. Adult victims of child abuse often suffer from psycho-physicalproblems such as migraine headaches, colitis, P.M.S., post-trauma stressdisorder and other problems. (1988). Gelfand, D., Jenson, N., & Drew, C. Therefore, they fear being able to remember eventsbecause they believe that full memory of these events will reveal their"true" guilt. In thisregard, they tend to believe that children are always quiet and wellbehaved, or always loving and to feel that the best method of gettingchildren to behave this way is through attack and assault. However,despite this lack of sexual response, these individuals will engage infairly pro-miscuous behavior, commonly as a means of providing themselveswith the self-degradation that they believe they deserve. Forone, abuse may have only occurred at later stages in childhood with theearly stages being marked by love and comfort. (Eds.). L. Martin, H. The family in context: A multilevelinteractional analysis of childhood abuse. Specifically, Martin has statedthat there have been absolutely no longitudinal studies of children whowere abused and then grew to adulthood. Ethology andSociobiology, 3, 61-67. (1982). & Pelcovitz, D. The likelihood of physical abuse is also elevated if insome way children frustrate their parents, for example, by chronic crying. In this regard, one set of factors is parentalcharacteristics. It can also lead to self-destructivebehavior. Studies of Adults Abused as Children Eliana Gil (1983) has noted that examination of clients presentingthemselves for psychotherapy evidences certain be-havioral patterns, whichare reliably associated with their being abused as children. One particularly interesting facet of sexual abuse in child-hood hasbeen reported by both Butler (1985) and Forward and Buck (1987). Conclusions Based on the foregoing review, a clinical profile of the adult abusedas a child may be developed. Given the foregoing qualification, Martin (1982) reports that thedescriptive research indicates that as adults, abused children are likelyto be one or more of the following: 1. They may be leading wellordered lives and fulfilling diverse responsibilities; but they do sufferfrom both emotional and sometimes physical consequences of the abuseregardless of these outward appearances. Large gaps in the memory of one's childhood or forgetfulness can be asymptom of child abuse. 4. For example, reports by Forward and Buck (1987) note thatalmost every victim of childhood sexual abuse experiences certain keyfeelings which contribute to a great need in adulthood to maintain secrecyand to tend to suppress feelings. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.