What factors mediate the psychological response to trauma?

The way a person reacts to trauma depends on many things, such as the type and severity of the traumatic event, the amount of available support for the person following the incident, other stressors currently being experienced in the person’s life, the existence of certain personality traits, natural levels of …

How does trauma affect personality development?

Individuals with childhood trauma show much more depression, anxiety, distorted cognition, personality deficits, and lower levels of social support, which may represent the social and psychological vulnerability for developing psychiatric disorders after childhood trauma experiences.

What is trauma psychology?

Psychological trauma is damage to a person’s mind as a result of one or more events that cause overwhelming amounts of stress that exceed the person’s ability to cope or integrate the emotions involved, eventually leading to serious, long-term negative consequences.

How does trauma affect behavior?

Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.

How can trauma affect behavior?

Delayed responses to trauma can include persistent fatigue, sleep disorders, nightmares, fear of recurrence, anxiety focused on flashbacks, depression, and avoidance of emotions, sensations, or activities that are associated with the trauma, even remotely.

What does psychological trauma do to the brain?

It perceives things that trigger memories of traumatic events as threats themselves. Trauma can cause your brain to remain in a state of hypervigilance, suppressing your memory and impulse control and trapping you in a constant state of strong emotional reactivity.

Can trauma change your personality?

Trauma Resets Personality. Traumatic events as “deep” as personality. Psychologists know that some aspects of personality are virtually unchangeable. These traits are described as “deep,” meaning that they are (a) biologically based and (b) difficult to change (1).

Are traumatic events as deep as personality?

Traumatic events as “deep” as personality. Psychologists know that some aspects of personality are virtually unchangeable. These traits are described as “deep,” meaning that they are (a) biologically based and (b) difficult to change (1). You cannot turn a sociopath into a saint or crush the ego of a narcissist.

What are the 4 types of reactions to trauma?

There are four main types of reactions we may experience following a trauma: emotional, cognitive, physical, and interpersonal. Emotional reactions include shock, fear, grief, anger, guilt, shame, helplessness, numbness, sadness, confusion, denial, abandonment, anxiety,…

What is psychological trauma?

Psychological trauma, defined as the experience of an event in which a person feels their life is threatened or in danger, may be accompanied by a sense of helplessness, horror, or numbing as the internal alarm system becomes activated.