I began this Chapter on Trauma linking the experience of trauma with the incidence of criminal behaviour and violence in society.
I then described the crucial difference between public and private trauma.
I intuit that humans traumatise other humans – usually resulting in private trauma – far more than natural disasters and accidents traumatise humans – which would usually result in public trauma.
Humans traumatise other humans in war, which is relevant also. In fact, because the effects of trauma appear so widespread, continual and enduring, some writers that I have read consider trauma to be a kind of psychological epidemic.
I have focused on how trauma and related factors affect children who may be growing, from infancy, in a family where the disorganised attachment style may have prevailed over many generations.
Feeling protected is vital to our well-being, and research shows that we have an in-built default position to not attribute responsibility to those close to us, even if they cause us distress. Thus we can have an idealised view of our childhood, family, parents etc. (This was described about two-thirds way down this post). The anger towards the person who fails to prevent abuse can be more intense than the anger towards the abuser.
I pondered on this a little!
In respect of imprisonment, I wondered at the attitude of young men and women who perceive themselves to be not protected by society in general.
When they become old enough to see other children thriving, doing well in school, and, from their point of view, protected, I believe that Bowlby’s research implies that they will become angrier at the society that hasn’t protected them than they will be at whoever was causing them to suffer.
It was mentioned in a previous Chapter that in more unequal societies (that is, where there is a yawning gap between rich and poor) there are higher levels of criminality, imprisonment, homelessness, and poverty.
Perhaps the rationale for these higher levels of negative factors in society can be found in a kind of societal attachment theory, because the yawning gap is a constant reminder to people (children and adults) of the lack of protection that they are experiencing, and/or have experienced as children – from those who they perceive to be in charge!