I'm writing about a group of characters that were largely neglected and abused all throughout their lives. They range from 4 to 20 years old, boys and girls alike. What kind of consequences would this raising have on them?
If they were severely abused throughout their lives (like INTENSE abuse), they may develop Multiple Personality Disorder which is to this day debated on as some psychologists suggest it doesn't exist. They may isolate themselves, leading to social problems which sometimes exist in patients suffering from Schizophrenia. Hope this helps!
"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast." ~Oscar Wilde.
Less intense problems can include anxiety, PTSDs, strained social relationships/near-inability to form social relationships, and a hard heart (general attitude there's nobody there who can help/really cares).
It really depends on the kind of abuse involved, the character's coping methods, and any psychology known about how different kinds of abuse lead to different mental quirks.
I'd suggest to do some research into the types of abuse; I'd think there'd be some information on what sort of results this abuse can get. I wouldn't take any of that as a hard and fast rule, also. Individual coping methods can vary widely. It also depends on length of time since the abuse, any circumstances that have changed since the abuse, and the friends somebody abused makes. Along with a whole host of other factors.
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Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
Neglect wise if they were kept in isolation they would have some really serious problems. If they were never really spoken to they will not have developed language skills and there is a good chance they won't be able to speak or if they can speak it will be very poor. If they can't speak at all they will most likely not be able to regain that. They can be rehabilitated some but they will never be able to speak like the average person.
Isolation can also pose a lot of other problems, do some research on feral children or cases of extreme abuse where a child is locked up in isolation for years of their lives. Not sure if you're going at that angle at all but it could help.
If you've read A Child Called "It" (or the other books in that series), that gives a good representation of what it was like for his child (Dave I believe his name is...) growing up with a terribly abusive mother and how his life was affected. It's a true story. From what I remember he had problems with drugs and alcohol for awhile.
A lot of it depends on exactly what happened to the individual, how old they were, and how well they could cope with it. Like with Dave, he's a successful adult now, married with kids and he suffered through one of the worst cases of child abuse in California history. But you also hear about people that were not able to cope as well and have serious problems, continue the abusive cycle on their own children, or end up in jail because of drug or alcohol abuse.
Maybe if we had more details about the character's situations we could provide some more firm answers. Let me know if you need anything else! I'm a freshman in college and a psychology major
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