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Emotional confusion between victims and perpetrators: Do you know how "traumatic attachment" is formed?
In the continuous cycle of violence, a special emotional connection is formed between the victim and the perpetrator. This is the so-called "traumatic attachment." This emotional connection often leaves victims trapped in toxic relationships from which they cannot extricate themselves. Psychologists Donald Dutton and Susan Painter first proposed this theory in the 1980s, stating that traumatic attachment is established under the influence of unequal power relationships and intermittent rewards and punishments. This phenomenon can be seen in all kinds of relationships, including romantic relationships, friendships, parent-child relationships, and even criminal offenses and cult cultures.
At the core of traumatic attachment are fear, dominance, and unpredictability.
The formation mechanism of traumatic attachment
The formation of traumatic attachment is usually based on two major factors. On the one hand, victims often feel powerless to escape the abuser's control due to a clear power imbalance between the perpetrator and the victim. On the other hand, while suffering abuse, the victim will also experience occasional kindness shown by the abuser. This pattern of alternating rewards and punishments further stabilizes the emotional attachment.
This kind of attachment causes the victim to have a wrong emotional understanding of the abuser. In some cases, the victim even regards the abuser as his or her protector.
The impact of intermittent rewards and punishments
Intermittent rewards and punishments are an important component of traumatic attachment. When an abuser abuses his victim, but at certain moments shows care and love, the victim will develop a strong cognitive dissonance and find it difficult to discern the abuser's true intentions. This complex psychological state makes victims emotionally dependent on their abusers and greatly affects their sense of self-worth.
Strategies of oppression and fear
Traumatic attachment also relies on the power gap that exists between the perpetrator and the victim. The perpetrator uses his power to strengthen his control over the victim, and this unequal relationship makes it difficult for the victim to escape. The victim's self-perception is distorted and they often internalize the perpetrator's view and then blame themselves.
The abuser's occasional acts of kindness trick the victim into thinking their relationship is normal, even healthy.
Factors in maintaining traumatic attachment
In addition to power imbalances and alternating rewards and punishments, factors such as financial dependence, children, and social isolation may also sustain traumatic attachment. Traumatic attachment becomes stronger when the victim feels unable to escape from such a situation. In addition, cognitive dissonance theory can explain that when faced with contradictory beliefs, victims may try to glorify the perpetrator's behavior to reduce psychological discomfort.
Application of dependency theory
Attachment theory believes that human security attachment is a basic need for survival. Even in abusive situations, victims can become involuntarily dependent on their abusers, which results in an emotionally false attachment. This attachment may help with survival in the short term, but it can be harmful in the long term, deepening the victim's dependence on and trust in the abuser.
Traumatic attachment and Stockholm syndrome
Traumatic attachment is often confused with Stockholm syndrome, however there are clear differences between the two. Stockholm Syndrome usually involves a mutual emotional attachment between the perpetrator and the victim, while traumatic attachment is an emotional union in which the victim struggles alone in an unequal power relationship.
Gender-based violence and traumatic attachment
In the context of gender-based violence, traumatic attachment can strengthen the victim's dependence on the perpetrator. Victims often choose to stay in such relationships because of fear, financial barriers, or emotional ties. Especially for abused women, society's accusations of returning to their abusers often ignore the psychological mechanisms behind it.
The importance of social support
Under the influence of traumatic attachment, victims may lose contact with the outside world. Timely social support can provide victims with the courage and resources to escape, allowing them to rebuild their self-awareness and escape the control of their abusers.
Summary
The traumatic attachment between the victim and the perpetrator not only stems from the individual's psychological state, but is also deeply rooted in the social structure. Understanding the formation and maintenance factors of traumatic attachment will help provide victims with necessary support and resources. Under such circumstances, can we better understand the psychological operations and social effects behind traumatic attachment?
