#freestyle post

Developed by Lenore Walker, the cycle of violence describes a repeating three-phase pattern in abusive relationships. The idea behind this is that people who have experienced abuse, neglect, or any other forms of violence are more likely to repeat those patterns later in life, but it doesn’t apply to every person. In the following image, this was used in my professor’s slideshow during class. 

While progressing through this research, we’ve never discussed breaking the cycle of generational trauma. A task that is easier said than done… To truly get this point across, I've decided to do a "short story". The people mentioned in this are completely fictional; I've made this whole story up, and I hope that we can all learn something about this.

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of physical violence, intense arguments, read at your own discretion

Jeff and Sarah, a married couple in their early 30s with a 4-year-old son, James. From the outside, their life appears stable. Perfect even. Economically, the family is just fine in the middle class; Jeff and Sarah maintain steady jobs, and their son is thriving for his age. Having been married for six years, it would seem that they have built a strong foundation with each other and have shared every precious moment with one another. However, beneath that same stability, there are unresolved issues that begin to surface– particularly in Jeff’s behavior. 

As time went on, the tension within the house became more and more noticeable. One evening after a long day at work, Jeff came back to find the kitchen still messy, on the floor nearby the sink toys scattered around wet, and dishes piling one on top of another. What would normally be viewed as a minor inconvenience quickly escalated. His frustrations quickly turned into anger which directly pointed toward Sarah. His voice became sharp, his tone harsher with each passing second. Meanwhile James, who had been quietly playing heard the commotion from his down a hallway, froze at the sudden shift. He watched his father silently, and gripped onto his toy not knowing what to do.

Later that night, as Sarah would put James into bed, she noticed that he was unusually quiet. Especially when bringing up his father, James would clutch onto his blanket and tug it close to his face, and repeat a single phrase Jeff had said, he told his mom he was scared of his dad. At that moment, Sarah realized that this was more than just a bad stressful day from work. 

Entering their bedroom, Jeff sat down at the edge of the bed holding his head seeming to be regretful of his actions. Remaining calm but direct, Sarah began to explain that his reactions were beginning to react the same patterns in what he had described in his childhood.

In his childhood, Jeff grew up in an unstable household. His father was in and out of the picture, with or without warnings. When he was home, conflict would arise. Arguments between his parents would bring over the smallest details, some would quickly escalate by either intensifying or worse physical altercations. As a child, Jeff was not only a witness to these but was occasionally pulled into them. Over time, he has learned to associate conflict with heightened emotion, unpredictability, and a lack of control. 

At first, Jeff was in denial, defensive almost, insisting that he was just stressed and that it wasn't a big deal. However, Sarah emphasized that James did witness the altercation and pointed  out how similar his actions were to the ones he once experienced, and that if this were to continue, who knows what would happen to James when he gets older. Jeff paused, the realization was unsettling. What he once saw as “normal” reactions to frustration now became something more in depth, patterns he had never fully addressed.

In this moment, this is how Generational Trauma starts, but awareness and accountability is the key into not just stopping but preventing it as a whole. In this scenario this demonstrates how the cycle can start but it also highlights the importance of awareness and accountability. It starts:

Recognition / Awareness: Sarah noticed the patterns with Jeff’s reactions

Accountability: This falls under the small detail that Jeff did seem regretful and also with the final part of this story:

Later that night, after the tension and heat had begun to cool and settle, Jeff found himself, standing nearby, lingering outside of his son’s bedroom door. He hesitates for a moment before gently knocking and stepping inside. His son laid on his side holding his blanket close. With soft steps, Jeff made his way to the side of the bed, he sat down beside James’ feet, not saying much at first, instead he reached over and adjusted the blanket James laid with. 

In my book post, free mentioning “Epigenetics, the thought hadn't really crossed my mind. In simple terms, epigenetics is merely connected to the bridge of the Nature vs. Nurture debate. Nature, meaning you are born with x, y, z, while Nurture is the experiences a person can go through, like trauma, a huge stress marker to look back upon. That's at least from my perspective, yes, there is more to it, but that looks like the largest thing to note.”

While quoting myself, I’ve realized I should’ve talked about Nature vs. Nurture more.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) are certain events that transpire during anyone’s childhood. Referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention || Government Page (CDC.gov) and Doctor Alycha Boehm from Kutztown University for the majority of this information. The main key points to note about ACES is that they can:

Have long-term negative impacts on, health, opportunity and well-being

They are common and some groups (minorities) experience them more than others.

To truly pinpoint what ACEs are and what events can lead to them, we need to understand what trauma is. Some examples of trauma can be acute (small event, that still impacts), vicarious (experience through someone else) or chronic (repeated and prolonged) which could turn into Toxic stress. For the purpose of this blog topic which is Generational Trauma, we could consider all of these other forms of trauma as variables leading up to Generational Trauma. 

At the beginning of this post there is an image, this is a chart of ACEs which individuals, psychologists, therapists, even healthcare professionals could refer to. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood ranging from birth to 17 years old. Examples of these could be:

Experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect (Chronic trauma)

Witnessing violence in the home or community (Vicarious trauma)

Having a family member attempt or die by suicide (Acute trauma)

Other things that are included are the aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding (attachment style). Examples can include living in a household with:

Substance use problems

Mental Health Problems

Incarcerated Parent

Divorce

Now, why would the CDC mention this?

Well, an individual affected by ACEs could also experience certain changes from their day to day life, such as their Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn response. Ideally, this response is activated to real danger, is time-limited and is used to ensure one’s survival in a dangerous situation. However, if a threat is prolonged and chronic and our body cannot seem to understand the threat is gone, this can negatively affect our bodies and minds. What this looks like:

(Again) Negative impacts on, health, opportunity and well-being

Unstable work, struggle with finances, and depression through life. Which could lead to… GENERATIONAL TRAUMA!

And in attempts for individuals to self sooth themselves this could lead devastating outcomes, such as:

Maladaptive Coping, for temporary relief–

Alcohol

Risk-taking Behavior

Substance abuse

Violent outburst

etc.

Statistics from the CDC shows:

“About 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported that they had experienced at least one type of ACE, and nearly 1 in 6 reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs.”

“Females and several racial/ethnic minority groups were at greater risk for experiencing 4 or more ACEs.”

“Many people do not realize that exposure to ACEs is associated with increased risk for health problems across the lifespan.”

In terms of prevention for ACES–

While in my Child Psychology Class, Dr. Boehm stressed that creating trauma-informed spaces are crucial. What that means or looks like is that “environments are not just physically safe but also emotionally, psychologically, socially and morally as well.” That we must, “be our best selves and everytime we interact with a youth we have an opportunity for a trustworthy interaction.” 

In this post, I am looking at the use of Orcs in the movie Bright.  Directed by David Ayer, this movie is a direct statement of how Orcs are used in contemporary fantasy movies to raise questions about race and how different races are treated.

In this movie, a cop named Daryl Ward (played by Will Smith) is partners with the first Orc policeman on the Los Angeles force Nick Jakoby (played by Joel Edgerton). In the beginning of the movie, Ward is almost killed in a shootout by a criminal Orc, who gets away in the end. Jakoby is accused throughout the movie to letting the criminal Orc go, which helps show the tension between the different races. This world is clearly segregated. The Elves (most “superior” race) rarely/never go outside their elvish districts around LA. They represent the 1% of America. On the other side of the spectrum, there are the Orcs. The Orcs are placed below both Elves and humans, and are treated in ways that align with what African Americans had to deal with in the history of the United States.

One of the first things you notice is how Orcs and black americans are similar in how they are portrayed. In stereotypical urban clothes, both the Orcs and black americans act as real stereotypes of black americans. Society’s views on policemen are negative, and having an Orc as a police man shows even more how people expect him to act with brutality, and put other Orcs first above the law.

Another example is the introduction credits, and the scenes they portray. Most of the scenes in the beginning credits are walls with powerful images of graffiti similar to the number of powerful, meaningful graffiti lining the sides of buildings. Just like the use of graffiti that black americans use to illustrate their strife, the Orcs in this movie do so as well, furthering the argument that Orcs are used to be an allusion to people of color.

This movie makes a clear connection to society now, and in the past. People look at other’s skin/race/ethnicity before looking at their actual inner character.

For my free style post I have decided to talk about my own personal experience with social media. So I was first introduced to social media in 7th grade. That platform would be no other than Instagram. I remember this day so vividly,