Harassment In The Family: A Childhood Trauma That Predisposes To Psychosis

Many parents underestimate the significance of one sibling’s harassment of another. They justify this behavior by saying things like “all siblings do” and think it is nothing more than that. However, that is not what a study at the University of Cambridge concluded. In this study, it was established that harassment in the family is a childhood trauma that predisposes people to psychoses.

Harassment in the family is defined as systematic and persistent behavior that is intended to annoy, intimidate or psychologically demean another family member. This type of behavior occurs especially between siblings. The result of such behavior is childhood traumas . Usually, one of the older siblings exposes one of the younger siblings to this type of behavior.

What the addict wants is to destabilize the victim psychologically. 3600 individuals participated in a study. This study showed that this type of behavior is the source of a childhood trauma. And this trauma predisposes people to psychoses. In other words, people who are harassed by siblings have a greater tendency to “go crazy.” That is, to lose touch with the socially accepted reality.

Harassment in the family – an early source of trauma

Children are immature and not fully aware of the consequences of their actions. Nevertheless, there are traces of psychopathy, even at a young age, especially in dysfunctional families or those with severe problems. In these cases, one sibling attacks another mentally. In this respect, younger siblings are usually the victims. But older siblings also suffer from this.

One sibling exposes another to teasing, annoyance, or constant humiliation. This is almost always most evident during play, or at least what is supposed to be play. Harassment in the family can also be disguised as a joke, a challenge or competition. The goal is, almost always unconsciously, to expel the harasser from the family or in any case make it so that the harasser can be ignored or treated as invisible.

Usually, the harassing victim sees it as a threat to their power within the family structure. This notion almost never corresponds to reality. In that regard, it is simply an idea that arises as a result of uncertainty, jealousy, or as a projection. This is how the cycle of childhood traumas begins.

Victims of family harassment

Victims of harassment in the family are quite often a person who is appealing, intelligent or attractive. Any virtue that can make them stand out is seen as a threat, and that is how the dramatic cycle of harassment begins.  Sometimes the opposite happens: the victim has a weakness or deficiency, and their siblings resent the special treatment they receive.

In families with severe behavioral problems , parents commit cruelty and violence against one of their children. This in turn causes the child to project this behavior onto one of its siblings.

Victims have two options. They can either move away from home or flee from their reality. In the first case, they are deprived of the protective central core and they are trapped in a sense of emptiness. In the second case, there is a childhood trauma that can predispose them to psychoses. They may develop schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression, some of which may include delirium or hallucinations.

A childhood trauma that predisposes people to psychoses

According to the University of Cambridge, children who suffer from harassment from one of their siblings have a double or triple risk of developing a psychosis in their adult lives. Those who also suffer from bullying at school are up to four times more likely to develop a serious mental illness. In summary, harassment is a childhood trauma.

Harassment between siblings can come in many different disguises. It can seem like recurring fun to scare the other sibling with something he fears, constant teasing or constant criticism of what he means, says or does. It sometimes also includes physical attacks, especially between boys, sometimes disguised behind “wrestling” or playing martial arts.

Whatever the case, parents are ultimately responsible for allowing this childhood trauma that predisposes children to psychosis. They are responsible for setting the rules for family play. If they fail to do this adequately, they promote dysfunctional situations or lack of control. In both cases, there is irresponsibility.