A pillow stained by the tears of an innocent child rests on an empty bed. The word child abuse typically paints the picture of a child being physically attacked by a parent, but the there is another, more damaging type of abuse going on in the home. "Broken bones heal, bruises go away, scars and stitches aren't that bad. It's the stuff inside that hurts the most," said one young man in a study conducted by Linden Mclyntire, which shows a direct correlation between antisocial behavior and psychological abuse. What can be done to stop this abuse from happening? Several countries have actually passed laws that ban disciplinary action that inflicts mental suffering on a child. (Romeo 438) These are only a few of the reasons why I am resolved that psychological abuse inflicted on children by their parents is damaging. All types of abuse are bad, but psychological is among the worst.
Sarah Xmas 06 family sketch
Emotional abuse in genogram
Physical abuse in genogramParents must learn how to properly discipline their children without inflicting mental damage.
To clarify, here are some definitions: A child is a person between birth and puberty, and individual regarded as strongly affected by another or by a specific time, place or circumstance. (dictionary.com) A parent is one who begets, gives birth to, raises or nurtures a child, a father or mother. (dictionary.com) In this case psychological maltreatment is a concentrated attack by a parent on a child's development of self and social competence that takes five forms: Rejecting, Ignoring, Terrorizing, Isolating and Corrupting. (Neely 690)Rejecting is when the parent refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the child's needs, refusing to see them as a fellow human. Ignoring is when the parent deprives the child of essential stimulations and responsiveness and stifles emotional growth or development. Terrorizing is verbally assaulting the child; the child lives...