Child Development- Molestation

Essence Magazine Issue: October 2008 p. 136

The particular article that I will be analysing is about a form of abuse used against children. The abuse is called sexual molestation. In my article, famous comedian/actress Monique revealed that when she was just 7 years old, her older brother started the horrible act of molesting her. She went on to explain that he would lure her into the family bath room with candy, and then proceed to molest her. He ended up doing this 4 times over a course of 4 years. Finally, when she was 15 years old, she revealed to her parents what had been taking place for the past 4 years. If the torment of her brother was not enough, the fact that her parents did not believe her did not make it any better. They said that if it really happened then it would surface again. Now that Monique is an adult, she felt that she could not and should not hide the secret anymore. She does not want people (particularly children) who have been through her same predicament to suffer any longer.
This article relates to my Psychology class because Monique had to go through a mental process of whether to reveal that her brother was molesting her. I feel that many children are traumatized by horrible experiences like this and ultimately suppress their feelings (Repression- excluding uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and desires from consciousness) because they feel that they aren't able to tell anyone what is going on. This could lead to unhealthy behavior such as Self-Inflicted abuse, Depression, and abuse against others. This also causes ample amounts of stress to children, which can cause weakening of the immune system, and over time they can become sick. Another way that this article applies to our Psychology class is because the parents went into denial by saying "if it really happened then it will surface again". Denial is the act of refusing to acknowledge a painful or threatening reality, and Monique's parents did just that when she had said that it was their son that had done the molesting. The knowledge of their own son inflicting so much pain on their daughter was just too terrifying to believe. When Monique briefly explained how her brother would molest her this was an example of her Episodic-Memory because this was an event that she could vividly see from her past.
There are many ways that molestation can cause harm to children. Not just physically but mentally, and spiritually. There can be bodily harm, self-esteem problems, and many trust issues. With or without treatment, acts like this can affect children years after the event occurred. Children may have flash backs about a particular event in there life that can cause emotional distress (they may act out or become very anti-social). We can help by listening to children and have them talk about things that are going on in their lives. Our children should not have to stand alone in this fight. We must help them in all ways that we can. Children are our future, and we should.