الفهرس 
Child Abuse and Its Long-term Consequences in Adulthood: A SurveyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 254 |  |  |
| | | from | 254 | | |
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the disastrous and complex consequences of experiencing different kinds of child abuse: physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. It explains how being raised in an abusive family environment leads to psychological, physical, behavioral, and social problems that persist into adult life. It also explores the different factors that put children at a higher risk of being abused.
An essential aspect of child abuse the intentionality of the abuser of inflicting abuse on children. When the abuser is a family member or a trusted person and he or she intends to exercise his or her power to exploit children or torture them the consequences become more damaging. Thus, issues such as secrecy, power and trust are tackled in this thesis.
The thesis displays the psychological disorders and their symptoms that result from experiencing childhood trauma caused by childhood abuse through Judith Herman (1942- )’s works Trauma and Recovery (1992) and a complementary article entitled Complex PTSD: A Syndrome in Survivors of Prolonged and Repeated Trauma published in 1992 as well.
Another aspect that the thesis focuses on is the defensive neurotic strategies adopted by the survivors of childhood maltreatment to cope with their trauma. These strategies are explained through the lens of Karen Horney (1885-1952)’s works: the Neurotic Personality of Our Time (1937), Self Analysis (1942), Our Inner Conflicts: A Constructive Theory of Neurosis (1945), Are you Considering Psychoanalysis? (1946), and finally Neurosis and Human Growth: The Struggle Toward Self-Realization (1950). In short, Herman’s and Horney’s works help in explaining the aftermath of experiencing childhood abuse.
The thesis is divided into a preface, three chapters, and a conclusion. Chapter one, entitled “Child Abuse and Its Long-term Consequences in Adulthood: A Survey,” presents the interplay between literature and psychology, elaborating how psychology contributes in analyzing the behaviors and actions of the characters in literary texts. Then it introduces the thesis’s questions. Then it defines key concepts that are utilized throughout the thesis, such as violence, abuse, and child abuse. It focuses on the four subcategories of child abuse tackled in the chosen plays: physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Furthermore, it illustrates three attributes or risk factors related to child maltreatment. Moreover, it shows how child abuse results in psychological and physical problems.
Additionally, this chapter presents the theoretical framework. It offers briefly a survey of the word trauma. Then it presents Judith Herman’s concepts of trauma, illustrating two major psychological disorders that result from the exposure to childhood trauma caused by experiencing childhood abuse: PTSD and complex PTSD and their manifestations in the chosen plays. After that stages of recovery from trauma are displayed in three main stages: safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection with society. Finally this chapter elaborates Horney’s psychoanalytic theory of neurosis which explains the importance of the stage of childhood the formation of individuals’ personalities. Finally, this part discusses the subdivision of the neurotic’s inner self. Then it illustrates the neurotic’s striving toward self-realization.
Chapter two, “Depicting Brutalized Childhood in Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman (2003)” analyzes the different types of childhood abuse that the main four characters of the play experienced: Michal, Katurain, Ariel and Topulski, showing the damaging effects of this abuse on their character formation. The chapter illustrates also the risk factors for their abuse. Then it examines the suffering of the four characters from childhood trauma and its accompanying psychological disorders that are discussed by Herman: PTSD and complex PTSD. The analysis indicates that they do not recover from their childhood trauma. It is worth mentioning that Michal suffered from physical injury, brain damage, because he was physically abused by his parents during his childhood.
Chapter three, “Achieving Recovery from Childhood Suffering in Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive (1997),” offers the risk factors for Li’l Bit’s abuse. Then it illustrates the types of abuse that Li’l Bit endured causing her trauma. After that Herman’s symptoms of PTSD on Li’l Bit, her grandmother, and her mother, showing how their past trauma affects the way they dealt with Li’l Bit and how trauma is transferred from one generation to the next.
Additionally, this chapters applies Herman’s diagnostic concept of complex PTSD on Li’l Bit because of the recurrent prolonged abuse she endured when she was a child as well as Uncle Peck because of his childhood trauma and war trauma. This part gives a thorough illustration of the different symptoms of this disorder as reflected on these two characters. It explains Li’l Bit’s ambiguous behavior in remaining in this abuse environment. Then Li’l Bit’s recovery from her trauma is revealed according to Herman’s approach: establishing safety, remembering, and reconnection.
The final part of this chapter examines the characters of Vogel’s play through the lens of Horney’s theory of neurosis. Finally, Li’l Bit’s termination of her relationship with Uncle Peck highlights her self-realization process showing how she grows, learns from her past experience, and becomes true to herself.
In the conclusion, the researcher offers the answer to the questions of the thesis through applying Herman’s and Horney’s theories on the characters of the chosen plays showing how child abuse affects the personalities of the characters in the two plays and how survivors of child abuse can benefit from it and recover from their trauma.