Childhood Trauma as a Factor of Aggressiveness in Adulthood
Abstract
The article is devoted to the theoretical, empirical and diagnostic study of the determination of aggression in adulthood by indicators of negative childhood experience. The purpose of the presented material is to theoretically substantiate and empirically clarify the deterministic influence of childhood trauma on the manifestations of aggression in adulthood. The basis is the method of bibliographic review of theoretical and empirical sources on this issue and empirical methods using diagnostic strictly formalised and low-formalised tools and statistical procedures (data standardisation, correlation analysis, method of determining the correlation of correlograms). The results include a presentation of the methodological basis of this problem within the framework of classical psychoanalysis and theories of object relations, psychophysiological and cognitive concepts of human trauma. A programme of empirical and diagnostic study of the deterministic influence of childhood trauma on the manifestations of aggression in adulthood is developed and the research sample is substantiated. It has been empirically explicated that for respondents with the form of negative experience ‘destructive attitude of others’ such forms of aggressiveness as ‘guilt’ and ‘suspicion’ are inherent, which, in combination with personality indicators, form a specific emotionally avoidant symptom complex that reflects emotional stress, depressed mood due to loss of motivation, pessimism and avoidance of interaction with others; and for respondents with a form of negative experience of ‘living in a dysfunctional family’, such forms of aggression as ‘irritation’ and ‘guilt’ were dominant, which, in combination with personality indicators, are framed in an affective-tense symptom complex reflecting a low threshold of emotional excitability, frequent negative emotions, intolerance to external influences, interpersonal difficulties and internal discomfort. The conclusions indicate that the proposed research format is a productive addition to psychological counselling practice.
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References
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