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Hollen Orr
Mark Lichtenberger
English 101
14 November 2022
The Root of Response
Childhood trauma is ongoing issue that sometimes isn’t ever dealt with. The brain is
not fully developed until the age of 25. This means that the way a child is raised can make a
difference on the rest of their life. Traumatizing events in a child’s life when they’re younger can
shape the way they think and react to things to the point where it is unhealthy. Those who have
childhood trauma experience different psychological symptoms, developmental disabilities, and
commitment issues.
Individuals who experience childhood trauma don’t always go through the same life
shifting events. The traumatized individual can experience different psychological symptoms
depending on their circumstance. There is a possibility of the child eventually developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Past events that were traumatizing can be triggered later in life
if a similar event happens. A study by Georg Schomerus states, “By increasing social isolation,
inducing shame, preventing help-seeking and overall spoiling the social identity of those having
experienced CT [13], stigma may add to the adverse effects of CT [Childhood Trauma] on
mental health. Indeed, previous studies confirm that shame dynamics are dominant peritraumatic features of interpersonal trauma and may play a dominant role in the development of
PTSD.” Indicating that the parenting of social isolation, inducing shame, and preventing helpseeking, and overall spoiling the social identity of victims of childhood trauma can allow for the
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development of PTSD within the individual. As the child grows older, they can also become
hypervigilant, meaning they always expect something bad to happen, they perceive danger where
none exists. Ones the hyperactivity has been triggered; they have trouble calming down. When
the child tries to forget about their traumatizing experiences then they become distressed when
the images come to mind.
When a child has been neglected their whole life by their parents, they can begin to
experience developmental difficulties. They may have an instability in sense of self that is
caused by the rection of heeling completely from their trauma. They may feel empty from the
instability of sense of self. Feelings of emptiness can then be associated with self-harm to
reassure themselves that they’re alive. Dudley writes, “These feelings of emptiness can be
associated with cutting (i.e., repeatedly cutting oneself to feel pain and see the bleeding) or
similar behavior in an attempt to feel something and know that one is alive (Briere and Gil, 1998;
Landecker, 1992; Van der Kolk, 2005).” This statement means that the individual could
eventually resort to self-harm not because of hatred for themselves but to touch base with reality
and make sure they’re alive. Wanting to make sure they’re alive is rooted in the instability of
sense of self. These developmental difficulties can cause them to never truly be able to find
themselves and always feel empty, causing depression and anxiety.
Commitment issues are rooted from many different events. Those who experienced
childhood trauma may struggle with commitment issues due to an overwhelming need of feeling
whole with attachments. Sometimes the individual can feel like their significant other does not
care about them, this is caused by the shift from idealizing them to devaluing them. If a child’s
parents were in and out of their life, it could cause them to struggle with comprehending that
people are willing to be with them. Some individuals also find it difficult to regulate their mood
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because of intense depressive, irritable, or anxious reaction to nontraumatic situations. This
could be because they don’t know how to process such events since they most likely had been
neglected. This mood instability can then result in suicidal behavior, inappropriate and intense
outburst of anger, or difficulty in controlling anger. This makes it hard to commit to someone
else when they don’t know how to deal with their own emotions.
An event during someone’s childhood that seems so inconvenient can turn out to be very
traumatizing to an individual. The d instability in so many important areas of experience results
in considerable emotional distress and dysfunction. Different events can cause PTSD and
triggering back to earlier childhood. Developmental issues can cause them instability in their
sense of self. The emotionally unstable parents are a key event to making a child with
commitment and relational issues in their future.
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Works Cited
Richard G. Dudley, Jr., M.D. “Childhood Trauma and Its Effects: Implications for Police” New Perspectives
in Policing. July 2015. https://permanent.fdlp.gov/gpo70861/248686.pdf
https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=17&sid=f911a118-9ea8-4993-8403fbe8f5b154c3%40redis