In the previous part of this article, the issue of aggression and the aggressor was discussed. In this part, the victim will be presented from a biological perspective.
Victim
Experiencing violence is a very distressing and painful experience. It negatively affects the life and functioning of such a person, especially with a prolonged experience of violence. The structure and functioning of the brain changes over time, which ultimately affects the behaviour of the victim of violence.
The research was conducted using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) on a group of people that included war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, people who had been beaten and sexually abused as children and a control group.
In the first group, a reduction in the volume of the right hippocampus of approximately 8 per centwas observed. This is related to the negative effect of cortisol, the stress hormone, whose levels are very high in stressful situations. The body naturally defends itself against pain and stress with endorphins and enkephalin.
Sufferers of post-traumatic stress syndrome have been observed to suffer from general numbness, emotional dullness and numbness, an increase in the activity of opiate mechanisms that are not inhibited, with the result that the secretion of endorphins is not adaptive and gives rise to the symptoms mentioned above. Victims of violence have high levels of norepinephrine, a transmitter associated with stress reactions. Elevated norepinephrine stimulates the brain to an alert state.
photo ojoimages
People diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are hypersensitive in certain situations, especially to stimuli associated with violence. These result in heightened sensitivity and less controlled emotional reactions on the one hand, and excessive desensitisation on the other.
