Trauma is not the same as stress or going through a crisis. According to Lewis (1999), trauma exists when an event/ experience is sudden, horrifying and unexpected to the victim. It is during this time that a person believes that they, or those around them will be injured or could die (Lewis, 1999). Feelings associated to trauma include fear, helplessness and a lack of control of the situation (Lewis, 1999). Everyone experiences trauma in different ways, and have their own subjective meanings to what a traumatic event is. However, for many school going children globally, the issue of bullying has become a traumatic event to those that are affected by it. Although most may go silent about it, all victims of bullying send out signals as a call …show more content…
WHAT IS TRAUMA?
Trauma, according to Giller (2016), refers to an event that had occurred and thus affects and overwhelms a person to the point it interferes with their normal functioning, and ability to cope. She further added that this traumatic event is subjective to each individual and therefore affect different people differently (Giller, 2016). This means that what one person experiences and considers to contribute to a disturbance in normal functioning, may not necessarily have the same effect on someone else.
Although the term trauma has been discussed above, it is important to note that trauma is different in children. Considering the age threshold of a child, there are presiding factors that contribute to this reason.
3.1. Trauma in
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The research previously conducted by Olweus drew educators and parents closer to the problem and encouraged them to do something about it (Hazelden Foundation, 2007).
4.3. The Bullying Dilemma in South African Schools.
Bullying is a global problem that is seen to affect school children not only physically, but psychologically too. In South Africa, many school children become victims of this horrifying act on a daily basis.
During the year 2002, the South African National Youth Risk Behavioural Survey was conducted by the Department of Health (Laas & Boezaart, 2014). The results showed a 43.9% prevalence in the Free State (Laas & Boezaart, 2014).
Furthermore, in the year 2008, a National Schools Violence Survey was conducted, and it was found that over 1 000 000 (million) pupils were bullied nationwide (Laas & Boezaart, 2014). Also, in the year 2012, the University of South Africa conducted a research study with 3 371 learners and found that of this sample, 34.4% (1 158) had been bullied (Laas & Boezaart, 2014). The South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP) (2015) reported last year that a total of 57% of students in South Africa experience bullying some time during their school career (Laas & Boezaart, 2014). A study conducted by the SACAP (2015) in 2015 concluded that there were 2.2 million school-going children in South Africa (Laas & Boezaart,
The “Trauma” is a. It doesn't eke itself out over time. It doesn’t split itself manageably into bite-sized chunks and distribute it equally throughout your life. Trauma is all or nothing. A tsunami wave of destruction. A tornado of unimaginable awfulness that whooshes into your life - just for one key moment - and wreaks such havoc that, in just an instant, your whole world will never be the same again”(Holly Bourne, The Manifesto on How to be Interesting).
Trauma is an incident that leads to a great suffering of body or mind. It is a severe torture to the body and breaks the body’s natural equilibrium. It is defined as an emotional wound causing a psychological injury. American Psychological Association, defined trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks and strained relationships. J. Laplanche and J. B. Pontalis assert, “Trauma is an event in the subject life defined by its intensity by the subject’s incapacity to respond adequately to it, and by the upheaval and long lasting effects that it brings about in the psychical organization” (qtd. by Hwangbo 1).
“Trauma is used when describing emotionally painful and distressing experiences or situations that can overwhelm a person’s ability to cope” (John A. Rich, Theodore Corbin, & Sandra Bloom, 2008). Trauma could include deaths, violence, verbal and nonverbal words and actions, discrimination, racism etc. Trauma could result in serious long-term effects on a person’s health, mental stability, and physical body. Judith Herman, from Trauma and Recovery, said “Traumatic events are extraordinary, not because they occur rarely, but rather because they overwhelm the ordinary human adaptations to life” (John A. Rich, Theodore Corbin, & Sandra Bloom, 2008). Trauma does not involve the same experiences for everyone; each individual is unique in that they, and only they, can decide what is traumatic for them.
Bullying has become a major problem facing the United States today. The American Psychological Association reports that roughly 40% to 80% of children are involved in bullying on some level during their time in school. (APA, 2014) The magnitude of the problem can be observed in the statistics. In the United States, a total of 4,080,879 children between the ages of five and 18 have been the victims of bullying compared to 3,892,199 who have reported that they have engaged in bullying someone else. Additionally, 851,755 said that they have been both the victim and the bully. That's a whopping 8,824,833 people in the United States that have been involved in bullying behavior on one level or another. (High, B., 2000 Census)
PTSD is a debilitating mental illness that occurs when someone is exposed to a traumatic, dangerous, frightening, or a possibly life-threating occurrence. “It is an anxiety disorder that can interfere with your relationships, your work, and your social life.” (Muscari, pp. 3-7) Trauma affects everyone in different ways. Everyone feels wide ranges of emotions after going through or witnessing a traumatic event, fear, sadness and depression, it can cause changes in your everyday life as in your sleep and eating patterns. Some people experience reoccurring thoughts and nightmares about the event.
Trauma is defined as “a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time” (Merriam-Webster). Many veterans experience trauma from the traumatic events they see in war or from the multiple terms they served in. An example of a traumatic event is depicted in an article titled “Caring for Veterans”.
The weight of constantly listening to difficult, harrowing, and upsetting events in other people’s lives can have negative impacts on therapists, especially for those who are inadequately trained or who have poor coping mechanisms. While most therapists deal with this strain, it is particularly true of those who work consistently work with patients who have experienced trauma. Trauma refers to an individual's exposure to actual or threatened harm, fear of death or injury, or witnessing violence. Common forms of trauma seen in therapy environments are rape, abuse, victims of crimes, accidents, and disasters. Trauma work requires specialized training and support in order to be effective for the clients and to help to deal with, minimize, and
What is trauma? It can be scientifically defined as damage to a person, physically or emotionally, due to over stress and/or dramatic life changing events. It can also be defined by Bessel van der Kolk as, "The past is alive in the form of a gnawing interior discomfort" (Kolk pg. 97). There are different causes and effects to every single person's trauma, even my own. Trauma isn't just a scientific word, paired with a definition. To most victims, it is part of their every day
Childhood trauma can occur when a child experiences something like physical, sexual or emotional abuse are some of the most common types of trauma to cause lasting psychological damage. Other traumatic
According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. Some terrible events that happen all too often are rape, natural disasters or an accident. Immediately following the event shock and denial are likely to occur, but in the long-term flashbacks, unpredictable emotions and troubled relationships can arise. Defining emotional trauma on a child. Emotional trauma in a child can be created by bullying, emotional abuse, death of loved ones, separation from parent, or chaos and dysfunction in the household. Child symptoms of trauma can be very similar to depression symptoms. They can over sleep or sleep to little, unexplained anger, trouble focusing, obsessive worrying and some anxiety. How a child experiences an event and how it’s handled by those around him have an effect on how traumatizing it can be, notes Dr. Jerry Bubrick (Child Mind Institute , 2017). People grieve at different speeds and the way the child grieves is not the correct indicator on how the child will cope later. Defining physical trauma on a child. Physical trauma on a child is considered non-accidental or the cause of physical injury. Some households that suffer from alcoholism/substance abuse and anger issues have higher occurrences of child abuse as compared to households without according to psychology today. Sometimes kids that are abused are unaware that they are being abused and are victims of child
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
Trauma relates to a type of damage to the mind that comes from a severely distressing event. A traumatic event relates to an experience or repeating events that overwhelmingly precipitated in weeks, months, or decades as one tries to cope with the current situations that can cause negative consequences. People’s general reaction to these events includes intense fear, helplessness or horror. When children experience trauma, they show disorganized or agitative behavior. In addition, the trigger of traumas includes some of the following, harassment, embarrassment, abandonment, abusive relationships, rejection, co-dependence, and many others. Long-term exposure to these events, homelessness, and mild abuse general psychological
A keyword search on the most popular New Zealand news website nzherald.co.nz reports 783 articles including the keywords “Bullying in Schools” dating as far back as 1999 (Alexia Internet Inc., n.d.; The New Zealand Herald, 2014) . In 2013 alone there were 82 articles written using the same keywords, which equates to atleast one being reported every week. In 2012 there were 135 matches or atleast 2 a week. It is safe to say this is a sizable national issue. Not all of these articles reported on national news topics but even some of those who didn't, explained the link the issue has to New Zealand's own problems (Huck, 2012). By looking at these articles we can see why it has been a hot topic for so long. Strong trends in these articles are stories of suicide, self-harm, depression and anxiety disorders. Although these are all very deeply complex topics, we cannot ignore the role bullying in schools plays on those suffering. Students who are bullied generally show higher levels of loneliness, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, to name a few (Nansel, T.R., Overpeck., M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Kimons-Morton, B. & Scheidt, P., 2001). The impact of bullying can have lasting affects with studies showing frequent victimisation can predict anxiety disorders in adults. Furthermore, there can be negative effects for the bullies themselves who are more likely to struggle with antisocial personalities, substance abuse, depression and anxiety disorders later in life. Additionally, people who are both victims of bullying and bullies themselves have a higher risk of developing anxiety and antisocial personality disorders in their adult years (Sourander et al., 2007).
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at schools: What we know and what we can do. Cambridge, MA:
A category of strategies to prevent bullying in schools is identifying the causes of bullying. One factor that may cause bullying is the students’s family life. The lack of love or approval and involvement from the parents or overly permissive parenting where there is a lack of supervision or no rules may initiate bullying as the child may feel insecure. Another factor that may cause bullying is peer pressure. Friends who are aggressive and hav...