Intergenerational Cycles of Trauma and Violence: An Attachment and Family Systems Perspective

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Family Therapy
Cover of the book Intergenerational Cycles of Trauma and Violence: An Attachment and Family Systems Perspective by Pamela C. Alexander, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Pamela C. Alexander ISBN: 9780393709988
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: December 15, 2014
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Pamela C. Alexander
ISBN: 9780393709988
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: December 15, 2014
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

Exploring the conditions under which children, as a function of their own abuse, become abusive themselves.

That experiences from childhood affect our behavior in adulthood, especially in the ways we treat our children and intimate partners, is generally accepted. Indeed, theories of intergenerational transmission of violence indicate that if we ourselves have been abused and neglected as children, we will likely be abusive and neglectful to others close to us—thus extending the cycle across generations. However, many individuals who were maltreated as children do not replicate this cycle, and such models make little sense of the individual raised in a “good family” who is violent either as a child or as an adult. These discontinuities of cycles of violence and trauma have challenged professionals and nonprofessionals alike. However, broadening our vision and attending to new areas of research can help to illuminate this conundrum and open up new avenues of intervention. In this book, Pamela Alexander does just that.

She proposes that an increased risk for abusive behavior or revictimization, as a function of one’s own experiences of abuse or trauma in childhood, can best be understood through the complementary lenses of attachment theory (focusing on the relationship between the child and the caregiver) and family systems theory (focusing on the larger context of this relationship). That is, what a child acquires from her relationship with a caregiver is not simply a reflection of what she has “learned” from experiencing or witnessing abuse. Rather, it emerges from the child’s felt experience of the relationship itself—on implicit emotional, physical, and neurobiological levels.

Alexander founds the book on this multifaceted parent–child attachment relationship and its place in the wider family system, integrating clinical experience with close attention to the long-term neurobiological and epigenetic effects of trauma. She focuses on common outcomes of a history of maltreatment, and of child sexual abuse in particular, including peer victimization, partner violence, parenting problems, and sexual offending. A detailed review of the literature accompanies instructive case examples. Sources of trauma from outside the family, including combat exposure, political terrorism, foster care, and incarceration of parents are considered. Finally, Alexander analyzes the multiple sources of natural resilience—the neurobiological, the individual, the relational, and the social—to enable professionals of all backgrounds to tailor-make effective interventions for interrupting cycles of trauma and violence.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Exploring the conditions under which children, as a function of their own abuse, become abusive themselves.

That experiences from childhood affect our behavior in adulthood, especially in the ways we treat our children and intimate partners, is generally accepted. Indeed, theories of intergenerational transmission of violence indicate that if we ourselves have been abused and neglected as children, we will likely be abusive and neglectful to others close to us—thus extending the cycle across generations. However, many individuals who were maltreated as children do not replicate this cycle, and such models make little sense of the individual raised in a “good family” who is violent either as a child or as an adult. These discontinuities of cycles of violence and trauma have challenged professionals and nonprofessionals alike. However, broadening our vision and attending to new areas of research can help to illuminate this conundrum and open up new avenues of intervention. In this book, Pamela Alexander does just that.

She proposes that an increased risk for abusive behavior or revictimization, as a function of one’s own experiences of abuse or trauma in childhood, can best be understood through the complementary lenses of attachment theory (focusing on the relationship between the child and the caregiver) and family systems theory (focusing on the larger context of this relationship). That is, what a child acquires from her relationship with a caregiver is not simply a reflection of what she has “learned” from experiencing or witnessing abuse. Rather, it emerges from the child’s felt experience of the relationship itself—on implicit emotional, physical, and neurobiological levels.

Alexander founds the book on this multifaceted parent–child attachment relationship and its place in the wider family system, integrating clinical experience with close attention to the long-term neurobiological and epigenetic effects of trauma. She focuses on common outcomes of a history of maltreatment, and of child sexual abuse in particular, including peer victimization, partner violence, parenting problems, and sexual offending. A detailed review of the literature accompanies instructive case examples. Sources of trauma from outside the family, including combat exposure, political terrorism, foster care, and incarceration of parents are considered. Finally, Alexander analyzes the multiple sources of natural resilience—the neurobiological, the individual, the relational, and the social—to enable professionals of all backgrounds to tailor-make effective interventions for interrupting cycles of trauma and violence.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book The Knitting Circle: A Novel by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book The Marriage Clinic: A Scientifically Based Marital Therapy by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Queer Street: Rise and Fall of an American Culture, 1947-1985 by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book The Mountains of Saint Francis: Discovering the Geologic Events That Shaped Our Earth by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi Germany to Iran and North Korea by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book H. M. S. Surprise (Vol. Book 3) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Woman Police Officer in Elevator: Poems by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Harvest: Field Notes from a Far-Flung Pursuit of Real Food by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Escalante's Dream: On the Trail of the Spanish Discovery of the Southwest by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations by Pamela C. Alexander
Cover of the book The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer by Pamela C. Alexander
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy