Trauma

Trauma (from Greek τρᾶυμα = "a wound") can refer to a physical or psychological (emotional) injury, usually resulting from an extremely stressful or life-threatening situation.

An event that causes a trauma is said to be traumatic. A person who experiences a trauma is said to be traumatized.

Physical trauma

Physical trauma is any body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from accident, injury, or impact. There are a wide variety of symptoms that are associated with physical trauma; for example, unconsciousness, internal bleeding, disorientation, shock, or death.

Corporal punishment can lead to injuries, the most common being marks such as bruises or welts, abrasion and bleeding wounds.

Psychological trauma

The causes of psychological trauma are manifold and can be physical or non-physical. A traumatic event involves a single experience, or an enduring or repeating event or events, that completely overwhelm the individual's ability to cope or integrate the ideas and emotions involved with that experience. Typical causes and dangers of psychological trauma are sexual abuse, bullying, domestic violence, the victim of alcoholism, the threat of either, or the witnessing of either, particularly in childhood. Catastrophic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, war or other mass violence can also cause psychological trauma. Even milder forms of abuse, such as verbal abuse, can be traumatic.

However, different people will react differently to similar events. One person may experience an event as traumatic while another person would not suffer trauma as a result of the same event. In other words, not all people who experience a potentially traumatic event will actually become psychologically traumatized.

Traumas can lead to all kinds of psychological problems, such as aggression and depression. In classical (Freudian) psychology, also paraphilia are believed to have their causes in an early childhood traumatic experience.

Punishment and trauma

Any form of punishment can be traumatic. Both corporal and psychological punishment come with the risk of traumatizing the delinquent if the experience is too intense for them to cope with.

See also Fear and/or Eustress

More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Physical trauma ]

Jump to: Main Page • Micropedia • Macropedia • Icons • Time Line • History • Life Lessons • Links • Help
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root