Developmental Perspective on Trauma
PICOWO series | Part 5
Full table of contents can be downloaded here.
From the foreword of prof Dr. Rolf Kleber:
In her book Martine Delfos presents an outstanding model of such a developmental perspective. She outlines a comprehensive and innovative approach based on in-depth scientific knowledge and extensive clinical expertise. She broadens the regular approach and goes beyond thinking in terms of pathology. She does that in her own way: original, profound and inspiring. Thus she builds a bridge over the gap between science and the concrete suffering of the affected individual, between the expertise of scientists and professionals and the thoughts and feelings of victims and survivors. Her book shows how each child builds its own framework and seeks to control the pain, how his or her life will be changed and how we can help and support them.
Rolf J. Kleber
Professor of Psychotraumatology, Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Utrecht.
Core Professor Arq Psychotrauma Expert Groep University of Utrecht.
In Developmental Perspective on Trauma Martine Delfos presents a new model on trauma. The effect of traumatic events depends on many factors, biological as well as psychological factors. Until now research has mainly focused on the age-related symptoms in psychological well-being in reaction to trauma, a developmental perspective on effect instead of formation. The factor that has not been taken into account yet is the impact of the child developmental stage itself on the perception of traumatic events. This concerns the way trauma influences the performance of the developmental tasks, a formative developmental perspective. A frame of reference that has developed in adults is often still lacking in children. Children will not always be traumatised by the same events as adults, and children can be deeply traumatised by events that adults will not consider traumatising because of their knowledge of the world leading to a more mature perspective. In the model presented, the characteristics of the development with its developmental tasks, the development of the brain with its growing connectivity are applied to traumatic experiences to account for developmental differences in reaction to trauma. The model is applied to different traumatic experiences like sexual abuse and war trauma.
A better understanding of the effect of traumatic experiences on children and adolescents is to be expected when the true developmental perspective is taken into account.
Dr. Martine Delfos is a bio-psychologist. She is a researcher, a therapist and a teacher. One of her fields is autism, with special attention to differentiating trauma within autistic behavior from autism spectrum disorders.
With respect to autism she helps developing autism care in several countries and is visiting professor at the Universidad Central del Ecuador in Quito-Ecuador and also at the International University of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
ISBN 9789088505072
E-ISBN 9789088505454
Author: Martine F. Delfos
Publisher: SWP, Amsterdam
1st edition 2014
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