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Effects of childhood abuse to adulthood
Long term effects of childhood abuse
Literature review of childhood trauma
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Recommended: Effects of childhood abuse to adulthood
Every child grows up with a different background and experiences, which impact the
decisions they make later in life. For some, their destructive childhoods lead them down a wrong
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path in life. In their journal focused on how childhood trauma affects the lives of criminals,
Wolff and Shi conclude, “Traumatic abuse that occurred when the victim was a child or
adolescent has been found to increase the risk for violent and aggressive behavior and criminality
in adulthood” (3). Almost every criminal convicted grew up in a destructive household, which
impacted their judgement and morality. Although these people committed crimes, they possess
the right to be heard and show others what caused their lack of judgment in
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Some kids grow up facing physical and emotional abuse, which disrupts the
normal development into adulthood. While some crimes derive from passion or hatred towards
another person, some people cannot control their actions because of the trauma experienced
during childhood.
Aileen Wuornos, a woman that murdered six men, experienced destructive events during
her childhood, which impacted the decisions she made during adulthood. At a young age Aileen
experienced horrifying events: her father killed himself while serving prison time for child
molestation, and her mother abandoned her and older brother Keith, leaving them to be raised by
their grandparents. Wuornos was sexually abused by her grandfather and had sexual relations
with her brother, which eventually led to an unplanned pregnancy (“Aileen Wuornos”). Child
molestation, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment traumatize people, especially children. The
events Aileen experienced in her childhood shaped the mindset she took on as an adult. These
experiences seen in her childhood clearly impacted the actions Aileen took during
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The tragic events from Aileen’s childhood led her down the wrong path in life. She held a hatred
for men because of the horrifying sexual misconduct she faced from her grandfather. This hatred
allowed Aileen to murder men in cold blood without feeling any remorse. On January 27, 1992
a jury found Wuornos guilty of first-degree murder for the Mallory case and received the death
penalty (“Aileen Wuornos”). Aileen’s case shows that childhood trauma plays a big role in the
actions people take as adults. Not every person who experiences trauma as a child grows up to
murder people, but those who choose that path in life deserve to be understood. When something
is out of the control of a person, they should not be blamed for it. Criminals who experience
trauma as children deserve the help they need, and should not spend the rest of their lives rotting
away in prison.
Mental illness also plays a crucial role in the development of people from childhood to
adulthood. According to the National Institute of Health, a mental illness can be defined as a
health condition that changes a person's thinking, feelings, or behavior that causes the
Reviewing the 12 Core Concepts of the National Child Trauma Stress Network, James is suffering from three of the 12 concepts. Number 1 core concept, Traumatic experience are inherently complex. Traumatic experiences are inherently complex no experience are the same varying degrees of objective life threat, physical violation, witnessing of an injury or death. The victim perceives their surroundings and decides what is best for them now safety and self-protection. Number 4 core concept, A child or adolescent can exhibit an extensive range of reactions to suffering and loss. Number 9 core concept, the developmental neurobiology triggers a youth’s reactions to traumatic experience. In this paper, we will be covering another trauma that affects the social worker or case worker who works on these cases of
... truth. Once the prosecutor’s cross- examined Aileen her lies and conflicts she became angry. The jury returned only two hours later with a first degree murder verdict. Aileen did not stand trial again. Om March 1992 Aileen plead no contest to Dick’s, Troy and Spears murders. She received three more death sentences. In June, 1992 she admitted to the murder of Charles Carskaddon, and in November, she was given her fifth death sentence. February of 1993, she was put to die after admitting to the murder of Walter Gino Antonio. No charges were brought for the killing of Peter Siems, as his body was never discovered.
As the years goes by, Wuornos life was becoming unstable and a nightmare. As a result, Wuornos childhood is well defined on how and why she became a criminal and killed those seven men victims. Her life consists of abandonment, mental and physical abuse by family, peers and neighborhood. While her mother was a teenager when she gave birth to Wuornos. Her father was absent in her life and abuse her mother. After he absent father was in jail for the rape of an underage child. Wuornos was abandoned by her mother as a teenager and left with grandparents. On the video stated she was emotional, sexually and physical abused by both grandparents. She became a prostitution to earn a living in the street of Florida. The life of Wuornos could be associated in with a diverse of theories of crime behavior. There are three various theories that could describe the life and subsequent in crimes of Aileen Wuornos. These three theories consist of biological/biosocial theory, self-control theory, and social control
She had a low self-esteem, felt abandoned, sexually abused by those that were to care for her. As a child she was sexually promiscuous and having sex with other children to obtain cigarettes, drugs, and food, which is how she came to learn that she could make money in prostitution. When she was 14 she was forced to give up a baby to adoption. She never got to meet the little boy that was born on March 23, 1971 who was born at a home for unwed mothers, (“The Child of A Serial Killer: Aileen Wournos’s Son,” 2017) another issue of abandonment. After her brother passed away, she once again felt abandoned, which helped fuel her fire for the hatred of
"Aileen Wuornos: Killer Who Preyed on Truck Drivers." Drifting into Life of Crime — — Crime Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
She was charged on several different accounts of committing criminal activities that mostly involved assault. Her behaviour continued to deteriorate even when she was married. Upon getting married to Fell, she ended up hitting him with a cane (Attorney Depot, 15 January 2013). The fact that she agreed to marry an older person is an indication of the psychological torment that she endured. The torture impaired her judgement to the point of believing that dating older men was a sane activity. Aileen was charged on the account of murder. According to the jury, she had committed seven murders. In her defence, she pointed out that most of them had tried to rape her while she as working as a
Childhood Trauma is defined as “The experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects.” (The National Institute of Mental Health). Childhood trauma is an epidemic that seems to be running its way throughout the world. Childhood trauma is a worldwide problem that can affect anyone and everyone. People tend to just try and help the problems that occur due to the childhood trauma, but not the problem itself. Many of these issues will also follow the child into their adult years and will cause negative effects. This paper will discuss the negative outcomes for a child who suffers from childhood trauma, and the negative outcomes that can follow them into adulthood.
1.), Wuornos was executed by the State of Florida on October 9, 2002. Wuornos became involved in antisocial activity and crime early in her life (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). There were many risk factors in Wuornos’ life which may have contributed to her offending. Judge Uriel Blount, who nevertheless sentenced Wuornos to death for the murder of Richard Mallory, found as mitigating factors: “that Wuornos suffered antisocial and borderline personality disorders; her natural father and grandfather had committed suicide; her grandmother’s alcoholism; her mother’s abandonment of her as an infant.” (“The Case of Aileen Wuornos - The Facts”, n.d.). Wuornos was found guilty of the murder of Richard Mallory, and was persuaded in arguably dubious circumstances (Aileen: Life and death of a serial killer, 2004) to not defend five other murder charges, although she claimed self-defence on numerous
Aileen was a sex worker or prostitute from her childhood at the age of 13 where she used to exchange sex for cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and food. During the time of her death, Aileen was in Starke, Florida, USA (Theron et al., 2004).
She claimed self defense stating in the documentary duing a court order, “first female serial killer is not what I am and I am not even near it and my confessions prove it” (CITE). From the learning theory comes a term deemed “Neutralization”. Neutralization is an attempt by the offender to buffer the severity of their actions. It’s a learned behavior and thus is categorized under the learning theory which has been adopted via observation of their surroundings. This neutralization is an attempt to redistribute blame away from the offender. While all claims of rape Aileen mentioned are valid ( we can never know for sure because her victims are dead) a pattern of blame starts to form through her dialogue. According to the FBI, “The term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors.” (CITE). By definition of the word, Aileen was in fact a serial killer. However, while in the end admitting to the crimes, Aileen held strong to the idea that she was in fact not a serial killer, “Lee Wuornos insists she is not a serial killer and did not stalk her victims or plan her crimes” (DOCUMENTARY CITE). We see Aileen used neutralization in 2 main forms,
Krisberg, B. A. & Temin, C. E. (2001). The plight of children whose parents are in prison. National Council on Crime Delinquency. Available:F:USERSEveryoneWEBSITE ARTICLESChildren of Incarcerated Parents Newsletter.wpd
From when a child is born, to adulthood, everything done because of them, to them, or in front of them leaves a “puzzle piece” in their brain. By the time they have reached the age of 16 and up, they most likely have already decided or already have become the kind of person they want to be. What they have witnessed and experienced throughout the years of their upbringing has left enough puzzle pieces for them to piece together the type of person they will be. If the child witnesses abuse, they will remember that. If the child witnesses prejudice and racism, they will remember that. If the child witnesses the complete opposite of that, such as acceptance, fairness, and acts of love; they will remember that. From the ages of ten to fifteen, research shows that “early adolescent brain goes through a growth...
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
Aileen Wuornos is a character from the film Monster. Ms. Wuornos is a thirty-seven year old Caucasian female who is seeking help for an abundance of issues. When Ms. Wuornos was a child she was left in the care of her grandparents after being abandoned by her mother. Her father was serving a prison sentence when he took his own life. Left in the care of her grandparents, Ms. Wuornos suffered years of abuse. She endured sexual abuse by her grandfather and was repeatedly raped by a family friend. These rapes led to her being impregnated and giving birth to a child by the age of fourteen, which she was forced to put up for adoption. Ms. Wuornos' grandmother passed and her grandfather took his own life, assumingly due to his guilt.