Bruce Perry: Detrimental Consequences Of Violence

My initial reaction after reading Bruce Perry’s article on the neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood was understanding. Having a neurobiological explanations for the consequences of trauma helped me understand the long lasting and damaging effects. I, then, related this information to my own personal knowledge of the effects of childhood trauma. I found it very helpful that Perry pointed out the different kinds of trauma such as manipulation, degradation, and coercion. These means of aggression are often overlooked as credible reasons for trauma but they can be just as damaging as physical violence. Another distinction that was important to make was the statistics about who perpetrates the violence and if it was direct or indirect. A child witnessing assault of a parent versus the direct aggression on the child can be equally traumatizing. A major reason why I took this class was because I wanted to understand my younger cousins better. They are now thirteen and fourteen, both adopted as infants addicted to cocaine. They were adopted by my aunt who, at the time, had another child with severe conduct …show more content…
Understanding the neurobiological aspects of trauma can help doctors find medicine to treat them. It gives me a deeper understanding of their inner workings and how their brains process things. Some things that I thought were just individual characteristics, I now know are outcomes of their trauma. And not only is that incredibly heartbreaking, but it ignites a fire in me to help other children like them before the damages become irreversible. Like Perry said in his concluding paragraph, knowing and acknowledging childhood violence occurs, how often, and the different types provides a starting point for creating “a safer, more predictable, and enriching world for children”