Fallacies In Sexually Abused Children

This issues of trust for those diagnosed with DID stems from the mistrust they build during traumatic experiences. When the caregiver fails to protect a child from severe trauma, the child begins to develop a sense of mistrust for others and the environment. Their representation of the abuser whom is supposed to provide love, become the representations of others, thus creating fallacies regarding other individuals. There is a predisposing idea that everyone instills hurt due to their experiences of abuse. During early development, children often learn to gain trust for their caregivers by attunement and healthy connections build between mother and child. As such, individuals who lacked parental guidance and investment during infancy due to

Compared with all other children, sexually abused children represented others more frequently as liking them, and compared with physically abused children, expressed more frequent wishes to be close to others (Waldinger & Toth, 2011). This may explain the attention seeking behaviors manifested through promiscuity among those with DID. The sexual trauma endured during childhood produced unhealthy relational connections with others. This suggests the difficulty of sustaining healthy sexual relations during adulthood. Emotional attachment to others in the form of sexual behaviors, may explain the symptomology of promiscuity such as low self-worth and poor self-efficacy. Sexual adjustment may also be a concern for those who have experienced sexual trauma during childhood. While some desire attention, others may find it difficult to engage in relations with others due to mistrust, as previously mentioned. Establishing a relationship with a partner become challenging for those who are have lost a sense of

First, the dorsal and lateral areas of the prefrontal cortex underline inhibition and control. Research studies have suggested that “early stress has been associated with changes in the structure of the hippocampus, which plays a critical role in learning, memory, and stress regulation” (Vermetten, Schmahl, Linder, Loewenstein, Bremner, 2006). Dysfunctional regulation of the brain is influenced by traumatic experiences, this explains the neurobiology of individuals with DID. The onset of dissociative identity disorder is characterized by trauma which effects brain functioning. “Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown that adults with a history of childhood physical/sexual abuse have smaller hippocampal size, relative to healthy comparison subjects” (Vermetten, et. al, 2006). Because dissociative identity disorder evolves from traumatic childhood experiences, it is suggested the size of the hippocampal among those with DID is reduced. “Brain imaging studies have found that the communication pattern between parent and child shapes the way the child’s attachment system adapts to experiences with the attachment figure, literally hardwiring the child’s brain” (Farber,