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Cruelty begins at home.

¹Infant Psychiatry Section, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Philadelphia 19129.

Child Abuse & Neglect

|January 1, 1987

Summary

Childhood trauma can lead to abusive behaviors later in life. Understanding the link between excessive unpleasure and hostility is key to preventing child abuse and guiding treatment for affected children.

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Area of Science:

Psychoanalysis
Developmental Psychology
Child Psychiatry

Background:

Child abuse is often presumed to stem from parental histories of trauma.
A case study examines a child's developmental trajectory following maternal trauma.

Observation:

A 14-month-old child experienced neglect and abuse after his mother's traumatization.
The child exhibited explosive, destructive behaviors during recovery from severe depression.

Findings:

Excessive unpleasure mobilizes hostility in humans, a hypothesis supported by psychoanalytic studies.
This hypothesis offers an explanation for the cycle of abuse: the abused becoming abusers.

Implications:

The findings can inform therapeutic strategies for abused children to prevent future abusive behaviors.
This understanding may guide the development of broader child abuse prevention initiatives.