Psychology of Trauma
Developmental and Lifespan Trauma
People who are strong, intelligent and suffering no physical illness may suffer from traumatic stress, and Roni and her family are a typical example. It is evident that it is impossible to totally shield one's self from an experience that is traumatic. Roni was exposed to trauma while in her teens and she still suffers as a result of this exposure. The fact that Roni is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not strange as it is accepted that about 8% of the population will suffer PTSD at some point in life.
The problems that Roni is experiencing are not strange as the symptoms she is exhibiting are those that are normal for anyone who has been exposed to a situation that is traumatic. It cannot be labeled crazy because it is a normal human response to being exposed to events that are not normal. Suffering from these symptoms does not make Roni weak. Those who have had traumatic experiences would exhibit similar symptoms. However, by gaining a better understanding of what is happening to her will make Roni able to manage her fears and the symptoms that she is exhibiting.
A person who knows the symptoms of trauma is in a good position to make the decision to seek treatment or not. When trauma is experienced by a young person, the consequences, especially in the form of PTSD, are greater than for those who experience it as mature adults. An older person will have developed their cognitive and social behavior in such a way that they are better able to adjust themselves psychologically after experiencing trauma. More serious consequences in terms of severe PTSD and subjective happiness are less typical of people who have suffered trauma in their childhood, such as Roni. Roni demonstrates that a traumatic experience can have effects that are detrimental even many years after the experience.
She is now married and sees her life as meaningful, but at the same time, she still experiences fear and numbness; she fears the presence of danger around her. The effect of trauma thus depends greatly on the age of the person when the trauma occurred. The developmental phase of the trauma from an experience has, however, had results that are discrepant in as far as the way it affects and heightens a person's negative outcomes as well as their feeling of being helpless (Ogle, Rubin and Siegler, 2013).
Anxiety, Depression and Anger Reactions
When a traumatic experience occurs, the feelings that emerge include fear, worry, sadness and detachment. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is recognized when these feelings do not dissipate and the individual constantly grapples with a feeling of danger and anxiety. The person is stuck in the memories of the event and thus experiences pain and a fear that the memory will stay with them for life.
However, PTSD can be overcome when a person seeks help through treatment and the learning of skills that allow them to cope as well as receive support from others. In Roni's case, the event that happened in her teenage years has had an effect on her mind and body, which still experience shock. It is normal for a person suffering from PTSD to experience nightmares, feelings of fear and constantly remembering the event. With the majority of the people who have had these feelings, the emotions dissipate with the passing of time. PTSD, however, is seen when these symptoms do not go and the body does not seem to return to its normal state (Smith, Robinson and Segal, 2015).
According to Erickson (1963), a person forms their coherent life story and progresses their formation of an identity beginning at puberty. These two factors are key in the way the person adjusts themselves psychologically after a traumatic event. Thus, as these two developments of cognitive function and social advancements are made during adolescence, it follows that a traumatic experience during this time will contribute majorly to a person's formation of their identity.
Some outcomes that are post-traumatic, such as experiencing depression and or PTSD, can be predicted where a traumatic occurrence has contributed to a person's identity formation. The centrality of an event is seen as heightening the chances of PTSD in a severe form because it augments the programming and relieving of the experience that caused trauma; this then advances the extensiveness, the lucidity, the recall and the psychological effect as time passes. Some of the consequences of these in adult life include behaviors that are considered risky to health and even the onset of depression. Researchers have studied the harmful effects of a person...
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