What Happens When A Psychological Alteration Occurs In Childhood?
Childhood is a fundamental stage in which there are not only quantitative differences with respect to adulthood, but also several qualitative ones.
On a psychological level, children are not different from fully developed human beings because they lack information about how the world works; What shapes the way you think, behave and feel is not reduced to the relative absence of knowledge, but also has to do with the physical and functional characteristics of your brain. That is why in the first years of life children are capable of learning very quickly, and also why a psychological alteration at this age can easily leave a lasting mark on them.
And the child’s mind is characterized by its sensitivity to what comes from the environment, something with implications for both their learning capacity and their mental health. Thus, In this article we will address the topic of what happens when a psychological alteration occurs in childhood, and what is the cause of this.
What are the main effects of psychological disorders in childhood?
It is not that boys and girls are prone to developing psychopathologies in the face of practically any daily experience; After all, the development of the nervous system has been conditioned by natural selection exercised for hundreds of thousands of years, and no species of mammal could survive if its offspring were so sensitive to the adversities of nature. But it is true that they are less equipped than adults when it comes to dealing with experiences that overwhelm them emotionally, and this difference is often overlooked by fathers, mothers or caregivers in general. That is why it is important to take into account the phenomena that we will see below and that are triggered when children suffer emotional alterations caused by experiences that generate discomfort.
During the first years of life we are more vulnerable to traumatic experiences. These can cause our emotional memory to not adequately process the contents associated with a painful memory about what has happened to us, so that every time these memories come to consciousness, we suffer a crisis due to mental destabilization. This phenomenon can occur at any age, although when it occurs in the early years it has a greater capacity for wear and tear on long-term mental health due to the “snowball” effect which occurs at a stage of life in which many things scare us or make us feel insecure.
2. They direct frustration towards themselves or others
When children feel very frustrated or experience anger about something that has happened to them, they usually attribute “blame” by drawing very clear lines between those who are responsible for what happened and those who are not. They often blame only someone else when they suffer a problem caused by themselves, or they blame themselves after experiencing attacks or bullying at school. This is a tendency toward dichotomous thinking free of nuances, something because their capacity for abstract thinking is not yet fully developed and although it helps them learn without feeling constantly confused by the complexity of the world, it can lead them to suffer a lot of guilt in situations that are unfair to them. , or to adopt a hostile attitude that worsens their relationships with others.
3. Social isolation has deeper effects
When something happens to us that overwhelms us emotionally due to the anxiety or depression symptoms that it causes us to experience, we may choose to socially isolate ourselves more; However, this will not significantly affect our personality or social skills. However, in childhood yes can delay the acquisition of social skills and change a good part of the structure of the boy or girl’s behavior patterns, given that the personality is still being formed.
4. First relationships greatly influence how they will relate as adults
Finally, it should be noted that in childhood we learn the most relevant aspects about how personal relationships work, and these learnings They remain in a latent state, conditioning our “philosophy” when it comes to initiating and managing relationships of friendship, family and couples during the following years. This is because, first of all, these experiences mark us emotionally, and not intellectually; We learn what to expect from others by experiencing how we feel in the absence or presence of the father or mother, and from there we instruct a series of explanations about relationships as we develop the ability to use language. Therefore, if those first contacts generate stress or general discomfort, this will negatively alter the way we relate to each other in adulthood if we do not have professional psychological support.
How to recognize psychological alterations in childhood?
In order to recognize psychological disorders in childhood and find a way to treat them, psychologists must specialize in psychological intervention in this childhood stage. Childhood is a particularly delicate time in a person’s development, where the foundations of personality are laid and experiences are lived that will mark the course of life.
To specialize in mental health during the first phases of people’s development and growth, the Master in Child Psychology of Mediterranean School of Psychology It can be one of the best options to study online, since it will enable those who study it to recognize, improve and prevent the main disorders that may appear at this stage of life.
On the other hand, if what you are looking for is a specialization in children’s emotional development, another very appropriate option is the Postgraduate in emotional education during early childhood.
A training that also contemplates the development of adolescents with the main milestones and most common mental alterations that occur at that stage, is the Master in Psychology in Childhood and Adolescence.
These are extensive programs, with complete and updated syllabi, in a 100% online format, with the aim that the student can manage their time as they prefer. Furthermore, throughout the training, the student will have the support of expert tutors and the entire team of the Mediterranean School of Psychology.
