Kay Nuyens Invisible Scar Analysis

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Sticks and Stones Societies tolerance of verbal abuse has changed over the years. The adults of today, who grew up during the late sixties and early seventies, who endured this form of abuse, also grew up with the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” (Possibly, to make to abuse more bearable). These same adults have realized that this could not be further from the truth. The damage that words can afflict can be so severe and so long lasting that it would be easier to endure a broken bone. Understanding and defining verbal abuse has been allusive but in its simplest form it is described as name-calling. However, even innocent name-calling by the playground bully can have long lasting affects. While any abuse is damaging to the soul, a person who suffered emotional and/or verbal abuse as a…show more content…
In Kay Nuyens’ article, “Invisible Scars: Verbal Abuse” she explains how victims are sometime relieved that there was no physical abuse but don’t see the signs of severe chronic stress that has damaged their body and mind. They are convinced they were just being too sensitive and “…their emotional reaction [was] their own fault.” (Nuyens.) However, scars left from the verbal and emotional abuse are deeper than the ones from the physical abuse. “Children of hostile or verbally abusive mothers were equally negatively affected as compared with children of physically abusive mothers. The negative impact on children of psychologically unavailable mothers (i.e., denying emotional responsiveness) was judged to be the most devastating.” (Myers 86-87). Research has shown that verbal abuse does cause long-term harm. A recent study by Florida State University found that adults who were verbally abused as children were more self-critical and “prone to depression and anxiety.” (Science

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