Maltreatment In Elizabeth Today

Maltreatment affects other aspects of the activity on the brain in regards to behavioral, social, and emotional functioning. For example: chronic stress or repeated trauma can result in a persistent fear state and this response in a child can result in the inability to differentiate between danger and safety. There are constantly in fear and this response is expressed in Elizabeth today. Her memory of being abused if she did something that her parents did not like is so much a part of her now that she associates that memory of abuse to all situations where she might do something that someone does not like. That is one of the reasons why she always makes sure that she is allowed to enter a house or eat food that someone offers her. She is afraid of getting hurt. The American Psychological Association explains this condition well; “When children are exposed to chronic, traumatic stress, their brains sensitize the pathways for the fear response and create memories that automatically trigger that response without conscious
Lack of stimulation in early developmental years can weaken or even destroy neuronal pathways in a child’s brain which will hinder their achievement ability in the future. Finally, maltreatment in a child can cause deficits in their ability to have a good working memory, control their thoughts or impulses, and have a healthy cognitive flexibility. Not only does abuse affect a child’s mental development, but physical discipline such as spanking affects it as well and that includes a negative effect on individual portions of the brain including the amygdala, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and the prefrontal cortex. Parents have a much greater influence on their child’s current and future mental well-being and development of their personalities than most are aware