Social Processing Theory

The importance of Childhood Trauma is associated with the way children react later on in their life, as it plays an important role. There are several different types of maltreatment that are associated with abuse that can harm the child in the long run. Any type of physical abuse, emotional abuse or sexual abuse contributes to the negative affects that can change the child’s personality. If the child’s parents obtain physical neglect or emotional neglect, it can factor in changing a child’s moods, as it causes them to change into a different person. This experience causes them to develop different types of personality disorders such as Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissistic, Paranoia, Schizoid, and Schizotypal. Many children are affected through the terrible experience which develops mistrust in the world, and later causes them to turn against society because of the constant neglect that is inflicted onto them.

Ainsworth (1978) developed the Strange Situation Theory, which is how one is able to view the different levels of attachment (Groh, Roisman, Booth-LaForce, Flaley, Owen, Cox, & Burchinal, 2014). The first attachment is secure attachment, which is when a child is able to greet and seek out contact with the caregiver upon arrival after a stressful separation (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). The next is anxious-avoidant/resistant (insecure) attachment, when the child has no want to contact with the caregiver while showing signs of resistance upon the return (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). The last and the most crucial to child development is disoriented/ disorganized attachment; conflicting responses from the child which show hostile and aggressive behavior toward the caregiver (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). All of these attachements show the different types of ways that a child can communicate with their caregiver. These actions are the representations of their early attachment and experiences with the caregiver (Siebert & Kerns, 2015). If there are no changes toward the environment, the attention

D’Andrea, W., Ford, J., Stolbach, B., Spinazzola, J., & Van der Kolk, B. A. (2012). Understanding interpersonal trauma in children: Why we need a developmentally appropriate trauma diagnosis. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(2), 187-200. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01154.x

It is the primary caregiver who the child first begins to develop these intra- and interpersonal processes with. Future success of social-emotional development in children, is dependent upon the “the presence of caregiver-child relationships,” and the consistent, reliable, and empathic, positive serve and return of the caregiver (Briggs, Silver, Krug, Mason, Schrag, et al, 2014). Caregivers who have experienced childhood trauma, have a decreased ability to provide this type of interaction. Therefore, a child’s social-emotional development is at risk. Due to the caregiver’s traumatic history, they may have an inability to effectively interpret a child’s emotional state, and they may inappropriately respond to a child’s attempt for interaction. This caregiver may respond by using negative parenting practices including severe physical and psychological aggression, or neglectful behaviors (Briggs et al.). Thus, through inadequate parenting techniques, caregivers continue the intergenerational cycle (Brigs et

This suggest that attachment has been at the forefront of children’s social relationships. Attachment substantially contributes to our understanding of why the experience of being physically abused might lead to the development of representations and behavioral patterns that hinder the development of peer relationships. Like Social Learning Theory regarding parental abusive models, attachment plays a major role in how abuse affects children. As such, attachment theory explores the relevance of maltreatment and physical abuse on children. The theory also concludes that children who experience abuse or neglect are likely to develop insecure and disorganized attachments, causing them to extend that same behavior to their own children. This suggests that early childhood adverse experiences influence later parenting behavior (Begle, Dumas & Hanson, 2010).

Reactive attachment disorder manifests before the age of five and affects how a child is able to attach to their guardians, teachers, friends, authority figures, and any other person in their lives. There are two recognized types of reactive attachment disorder. The inhibited type and the disinhibited type (Rhodes, 2016). The inhibited type is “emotionally withdrawn” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). They do not initiate social relations or respond developmentally appropriately. The disinhibited type could also be called “indiscriminate” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). They will look for comfort or interaction from strangers or caregivers indiscriminately. They can also be “described as shallow and attention seeking” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). Some of the symptoms of reactive attachment disorder, or RAD, could stem from other disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. “Children with RAD may lack empathy, may intentionally harm themselves or others, and may be hypervigilant. Children with RAD have also been observed to exhibit impulsive and self-endangering behaviors. They may generally struggle with emotional and behavioral regulation. Children diagnosed with RAD may have related issues stemming from abuse and neglect that are not part of RAD that also need professional attention. These include unattended medical conditions, as well as trouble with speech or language” (Roberds & Davis, 2011). Some sources also include trouble understanding cause and effect as well as a problem with

The core-concept of an individual is largely influenced by one’s ability to regulate internal emotional states and one’s behavioral reactions to external stress. Children who experience trauma have difficulty managing their emotional states thus leading to poor perceptions of themselves. A distorted sense of self can potentially lead to loss of autobiographical memories, poor body image, and disturbances in sense of separateness in which the person may appear detached and distant (Carr, 2012). It may also lead to difficulty with impulse control which includes aggression

Ford (2009) describes the effects of trauma in childhood in the context of brain changing from learning to survival mode, which leads the individual who experienced trauma to be on high elert, more reactive, and unable to regulate their emotions. According to Ford (2003, p. 31), the developmental areas that get affected due to trauma are "1] attention and learning; [2] working (short-term), declarative (verbal), and narrative (autobiographical) memory; [3] emotion regulation; [4] personality formation and integration; and [5] relationships (attachment)"

Traumatized children show outcomes of negative physical and mental health once entering adulthood. DeJong talks about the different types of stress. In this section of the article, the author describes the difference between positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress. DeJong describes tolerable stress as having supportive relationships, whereas he describes toxic stress as having a lack of supportive relationships. The author states that experiencing toxic stress in early in childhood could lead to child traumatic stress. According to DeJong, “Child traumatic stress is the physical and emotional responses of a child to events that threaten the life or physical integrity of the child or of someone critically important to the child” (205). Traumatic stress occurs in response to a single traumatic event or reoccurring traumatic events. The author states traumatic stress could lead to toxic stress if it makes changes to the way the body reacts to it. As the article continues, the author begins to describe the effects of toxic stress in multiple body systems. DeJong describes the effects of toxic stress on the social/ behavioral system, the brain and neuroendocrine system, and the molecular and genetic levels. The tone of these sections of the article is very informal. The author did a great job of providing an explanation of the consequences of domestic violence exposure to children, as well as

The Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Framework is a theoretically grounded, evidence-informed, promising practice used to treat complex trauma in children and adolescents (Arvidson, 2011). This research shows how the application of the ARC model benefits inner city youth who have been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The goal of this research is to demonstrate that symptoms of ODD can be decreased by exposing inner city youth to ARC therapy over a period of time. The target population is inner city youth in Chattanooga, TN who are diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. 50 students were chosen at random at inner city schools in the area. 25 of the youth will be exposed to the therapy, while 25 will not be exposed and serve as the control group. The 25 students will be exposed to ARC therapy over a span of 6 months. After the 6 month period, the behaviors will be rated again and compared to the control group that received no treatment. Complex trauma results from exposure to severe stressors that occur within the caregiver system or with another presumably responsible adult, are repetitive, and begin in childhood or adolescence. As a result, many of these children and adolescents experience lifelong difficulties related to self-regulation, relationships, psychological symptoms, alterations in attention and consciousness, self-injury, identity, and cognitive distortions (Lawson, 2013). Exposure to ARC therapy over a given time will lead to

Childhood experiences and attachments are crucial to our emotional development. Children around this country are abused and neglected every second. “Childhood maltreatment also represents a serious public health concern, with an estimated 3.3 million referrals to child protective agencies for suspected child maltreatment in 2005” (Bentley & Widom, 2009). Those children who are abused eventually become adults whom suffered from childhood trauma. Although a trauma may be considered to be in the past, for many the scars are ever so present when moving throughout life. Individuals who haven’t be exposed to high doses of stress and trauma are ready to go into fight or flight at any moment, but when this system is started over and over again,

The effects of trauma can be looked at into two separate categories however, they both are interrelated: neurodevelopment and psychosocial development. From the onset of birth, we are born with 100 billion neurons, much more than we will ever need and much more than we will ever have. Between these neurons, trillions of synapses are created. Depending upon the early life experiences in relation to attachments with caregivers and our environment, some synapses will be strengthened whilst others will be discarded.

In the immediate, as well as long-term aftermath of exposure to trauma, children are at risk of developing significant emotional and behavior difficulties (CWIG, 2012). The most damaging types of trauma include early physical and sexual abuse, neglect, emotional/psychological abuse, exposure to domestic violence and other forms of child maltreatment (Hoch, 2009). Research has shown that children that are exposed to these types of trauma will experience developmental delays including language and verbal processing. Also, they will have risk of poor physiological and psychosocial functioning, and will be vulnerable to emotional and behavioral dysregulation disorders, thus, leading to an increase risk of poor outcomes including substance abuse, suicidality, teen pregnancy and paternity, criminal activity, and revictimization (Hoch, 2009).

The principles and theories of Social Psychology are important and useful in assessing behaviors in situations. These social psychological principles and their applications can be seen in fictional films which can also be attributed to everyday life. One such film that holds certain social psychological perspectives is Will Gluck’s 2010 production of Easy A. A film about high school student Olive Penderghast and how a sudden change in popularity and financial status, after an unintentional rumor about how she supposedly lost her virginity to a college guy spread through the entire her school. The film draws on the behavioral connections of pronounced hussy Olive Penderghast and her English class’s assigned reading of The Scarlet Letter.

Vulnerability and resilience among children continues to be a popular topic in research of developmental psychology. The two definitions are closely tied together as they are considered both sides to the spectrum. Schaffer (2006) defines vulnerability and resilience “as the susceptibility to develop malfunctioning following exposure to stressful life events, as opposed to the capacity to maintain competent functioning stress”. If stressful life events are the trigger here, why is it that some children are far more vulnerable, yet others are more resilient? The three studies discussed in this paper will attempt to explain why these differences occur and what can we do to enhance protective factors.