Incubated in Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the "Cycle of Violence" (From Children in a Violent Society, P 124- 149, 1997, Joy D. Osofsky, ed. -- See NCJ-169092)

• NCJ Number: 169099
• Author(s): B D Perry
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 26 pages
• Sale Source: Guilford Publications, Inc.
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper examines the impact of a child's exposure to violence in the context of neurodevelopment, that is, how these experiences influence brain development and subsequent emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social functioning of children.

Abstract

The organ that allows the child victim to adapt to any violent trauma is the brain; however, the very neurobiological adaptations that allow the child to survive violence may, as the child grows older, result in an increased tendency to be violent. To understand violence, it is important to understand the organization and functioning of the birthplace of violence, i.e., the brain. This paper's analysis of brain organization and function concludes that both the lack of critical nurturing experience and excessive exposure to traumatic violence will alter the developing central nervous system, predisposing a person to more impulsive, reactive, and violent behavior. Factors that influence the brain toward violent behavior are emotional neglect, cognitive neglect, and traumatic violence that nurtures chronic fear. This paper also discusses the ideology of aggression, a malignant combination of experiences that nurtures violent behavior, and clinical and public policy implications of the information presented in the paper. 81 references