Summary
This chapter discusses family abuse and how violence can impact someone’s life as well as the types of people being abused and the many different forms abuse can take. Abuse takes many forms including: verbal, sexual, disrespect, isolation, cruelty to animals and/or children, threats, property destruction, and elderly physical and emotional abuse. With the many ways people can be abused, the chapter answers why the abuser acts the way that they do to their victims. Substance abuse, stress, poverty, partner abuse, divorce, and a combination of these factors contribute to the reason why adults abuse children. The long-term effects of abuse are shown through depression and even suicide. Overall, abuse whether it be physical or verbal is life-changing and the chapter dives into the types, the effects, and the victim/abuser profiles.
New, Interesting, or Unusual Items Learned
It was very interesting to learn that people are more likely to be killed or assaulted by family members than by outsiders. That is disturbing and frightening to think that those closest to you may harm you. I also found the pie chart titled “Who Kills Children,” a bit disturbing because it’s also showing that the mother is the most likely to kill a child. It was an unusual thing to learn.
Question/Concern
For those that are emotionally and/or mentally abused as children, how does this influence their adulthood and their relationships with their abusers? Also, would they go on to repeat this emotional abuse that was learned as a child to their adult relationships?
Brian Bitner
I feel as though it really depends on the type of person who is abused and how that person and their abuser change as time goes on. Also, the brutality of the abuse should come in to play. A person who blames them self for being abused may find that they have a low self-esteem and difficulty functioning well throughout their life alongside their abuser. However, if the victim is capable of making amends, I feel that the sky is the limit. There is always a chance that history could repeat itself however.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the textbook, there is a positive correlation between those that were abused and violent behavior towards their future families. It seems as though the social learning theory is proving to be an accurate theory in explaining why some family members engage in such abusive behavior. However, I think the issue here is how to correct such incorrect and abnormal thought patterns, and how to promote well-being in the home. One would think that those who were abused as children would deliberately choose NOT to perform such violent behavior towards loved ones, but apparently the literature research says otherwise.
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