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Children of trauma: Adlerian personality characteristics Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Butler, Traci Lynn, 1962- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 20:28:16 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/291898 INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo graph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 1338068 Children of trauma: Adlerian personality characteristics Butler, Traci Lynn, M.A. The University of Arizona, 1989 UMI 300 N. ZeebRd. AnnArbor MI 48106 CHILDREN OF TRAUMA: ADLERIAN PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS by Traci Lynn Butler A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS •WITH A MAJOR IN COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 8 9 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgement the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: 2 Z-, Oscar C. Christensen, Jr Date Professor of School of Family and Consumer Resources 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Oscar C. Christensen and Dr. Betty J. Newlon for their continual support and encouragement, as well as serving as committee members. In addition, I would like to extend thanks and appreciation to Dr. Cecilia Northcutt for spending her time and providing encouragement as the third committee member. A special thanks is extended to Dr. Beth Ziebel, Dr. Carolyn Crowder, and Dr. Newlon for their participation as the Adlerian judges who interpreted in this study. A special thanks to those young men to volunteered to participate, whose participation made this study possible. A most loving thank you to Andrew Thorne, Mary Beth Post, and my parents, Joyce and Jerry Barber for your many words of encouragement, continual support, and constant belief in me and my visions. Last of all, thank you to Gail Farmer, for her much needed moral support, hours of listening, and belief in my dream. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES 6 ABSTRACT 7 1. INTRODUCTION 8 Background. 9 Definition of Terms 11 Deprivation of the Problem 13 Purpose of the Study 14 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 15 Historical Beginnings of Maltreated Children 15 Epidemiology 17 Effects of Maltreatment 18 Personality Characteristics of Maltreated Children 21 Summary 23 Personality Characteristics of Maltreated Children: An Adlerian Perspective 23 Life Style 23 Early Recollections 27 Family Atmosphere 3 0 Birth Order 31 Summary 3 5 3. METHODOLOGY 37 Assumptions 37 Subjects 3 8 Sampling Procedures 3 8 Data Collecting 39 Birth Order * 40 Family Atmosphere 41 Interpretation of Early Recollections 41 Analyzing Procedures 4 3 Validity and Reliability 44 Limitations of the Study 46 Summary 46 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued Page 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 48 Results 48 Composite Life Style Summary 55 Discussion 56 Early Recollections 57 Family Atmosphere 5 9 Birth Order 64 Additional Information 7 0 Summary 7 2 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 7 3 Recommendations 7 4 APPENDIX A: PARENT/GUARDIAN PERMISSION FORM 77 APPENDIX B: PARTICIPANT EXPLANATION 80 APPENDIX C: LIFE STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE FORM 82 APPENDIX D: LIFE STYLE WORKSHEET 86 REFERENCES 88 6 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Child abuse reporting over time 19 2 Personality characteristics of abused children 2 2 3 Age of rememberence 5 8 4 Special permission 6 0 5 Reported feelings... 6 0 6 Special permission 6 2 7 Serious trouble 6 2 8 Discipline . 63 9 Activity with mom 6 5 10 Activity with dad 65 11 Least favorite activity with mom 66 12 Least favorite activity with dad 66 13 Ordinal positions 67 14 Perceived ordinal positions 6 9 7 ABSTRACT This study examines in terms of Adlerian Life Style as revealed through Early Recollections, actual and perceived Birth Order, and Family Atmosphere the personality characteristics of adolescent males who have experienced some form of abuse and/or neglect. As part of the study, each subject participated in a structured, tape-recorded interview and each subject reported six early recollections, dreams, or made-up memories. Transcripts of these interviews were given to a panel of Adlerian psychologists who collectively analyzed and interpreted the subjects' information. They formulated a life style summary for each subject and combined common themes and personality characteristics to formulate a composite life style summary. Results indicate that Adlerian judges were able to identify several common life style themes and personality characteristics. The most commonly shared attributes were expecting bad things to happen, wanting to be special, and feeling out of control. 8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The maltreatment of children has been ongoing for hundreds of years and is not a new phenomenon to the twentieth century (Gelardo & Sanford, 1987). Yet, the recognition of the maltreatment is fairly recent with the first recorded case occurring in 1874 (Fontana & Besharov, 1979). Since that time, most of the focus has been placed on the offenders involved in the maltreatment/abuse (Maguire & Pointing, 1988). However, the shift in the current research reflects concern with the functioning and possible long-term consequences that the victim may experience. According to Emery (1989) the "psychological effects of abuse are diverse and individual differences remain largely unexplained" (p. 321). This study will be concerned with examining, in terms of Adlerian Life Style information gathered from Early Recollections, actual and perceived Birth Order, and Family Atmosphere questions, the personality characteristics of adolescent males who have experienced some form of abuse and/or neglect. By the way of introduction, however, let us first explore the necessary background information involved with child abuse and/or neglect. 9 Background Throughout the history of the human race, violence directed toward children has been socially acceptable. For centuries adults have had the right of absolute power over children. Adults have had the freedom to utilize a wide variety of methods when punishing, without any governmental or legal interference with their child rearing practices (Gelardo & Sanford, 19 87). The first recorded challenge to the absolute rights of parents over their children came in 197 4 (Fontana & Besharov, 1979). The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sought litigation in New York City when they found a child who had been starved and brutally beaten. It was after this case that the first organization concerned with children's rights was established and documented research began. The public's awareness of this vast problem is a fairly recent event. Insight into the problem was significantly increased following "the pioneering work of Kempe and others for physical abuse in the 1970's" (Oates, 1982, p. 2). While the existence of such abuse and neglect has been recognized, the exact scope of the problem is difficult, if not impossible to discern due to the absence of reliable data (Gelardo & Sanford, 1987). Nevertheless, statistics do show the current numbers of reported maltreatment are 10 greater than those of prior years (Eckenrode, Power, Doris, Munsh, & Bolger, 1988). According to Emery (19 89) one difficulty the mental health field has encountered when trying to collect data is the disagreement in the definition of maltreatment. Fontana and Besharov (197 9) added, "statistics are not available due to the hidden characteristics of abuse" (p.