Paradoxical Adaptation Syndrome: What It Is, Characteristics And Phases
Domestic violence is a social scourge for which a solution must be found. Unfortunately, it is difficult considering that many people do not dare to report it, which is why it is difficult to know precisely how many cases of partner abuse there are.
In addition to economic dependence and fear, the compassion factor is added to this inability to report their aggression. There are victims who, despite receiving physical and psychological abuse, do not report it because they adapt to the new situation and, furthermore, come to understand what their attacker has done.
Cases of violence are very complex and proof of this is the existence of paradoxical adaptation syndrome a situation similar to that of Stockholm syndrome that many women and men experience with their intimate relationships.
Paradoxical adaptation syndrome is a term used in contexts of domestic violence. This describes a phenomenon that on the surface seems contradictory: People who are victims of attacks by their partner also end up feeling that it is their attacker who protects them establishing a relationship of compassion and refuge in the person who causes abuse.
The learned helplessness in which the victim is trapped ends up becoming the paradoxical adaptation syndrome. This, combined with the fact that on many occasions victims of domestic violence do not report due to fear or economic dependence, makes them reluctant to report because there comes a time when they have “adapted” to the situation, fearing that any new change it and make it worse. They end up convinced that there is absolutely nothing they can do to change their situation.
Intimate partner violence is a very common scourge in most societies in the world In most cases, it is men who commit the attacks, but we must not ignore the fact that there are also women who commit violence against their partners, both physically and psychologically. Cases of sexist violence are the most visible, but it is known that cases of aggression towards men, less visible, have also grown.
Paradoxical adaptation syndrome It occurs in all types of couples regardless of the sexual and gender identity of its members It occurs in heterosexual couples, in homosexual couples, and can also occur in couples whose members have non-binary genders. Be that as it may, in most cases the violence occurs on an intimate level, it is not usually reported to the judicial authorities nor is it reported to the appropriate organizations against intimate partner violence.
The syndrome and its relationship with intimate partner violence
Paradoxical adaptation syndrome is experienced by the victim in a dysfunctional romantic relationship It should be said that intimate partner violence is a very complex phenomenon, in which a wide repertoire of feelings, thoughts and contradictory beliefs appear.
In the best cases, the situation leads to separation, causing the victim to break free before it escalates further the victim seeing that trust and respect have been broken and, therefore, there is no other remedy than to end the relationship.
However, on other occasions the victim cannot free himself from the chains of his attacker Among the reasons why this happens, we must take into consideration the following three factors:
These three factors would be those that would occur in a typical case, although they are not what occurs in absolutely all cases.
There are also people who, Although they are apparently independent and seem to have the necessary alternatives to escape their situation of physical and psychological abuse, they do not flee from it and experience paradoxical adaptation syndrome.
In all couples where there is violence from the beginning there is an imbalance of power, whether economic, social, material or emotional It is this situation of imbalance that is considered an essential condition for the abuse to consolidate in the relationship.
Paradoxical adaptation syndrome is a psychological reaction of people who are victims of domestic violence and, therefore, involves changes both cognitively and emotionally
These modifications are given with the aim of the person being able to cope or survive the situation. At first it would be an adaptation mechanism, although it would not be functional because the person is adapting to a situation from which he should flee, not tolerate it.
Given its characteristics, this psychological condition It is related to Stockholm syndrome In both problems, feelings of love, attraction and sympathy towards the aggressor are born in the victim. One of the reasons why this happens is that the victim himself compares the harm perpetrated, the harm he is suffering or has already suffered, with the potential harm, coming to the conclusion that he is receiving a benefit, since it could be much worse. .
The phases of paradoxical adaptation
As we said, paradoxical adaptation syndrome is a consequence of mistreatment, both physical and psychological abuse. This situation does not occur immediately or spontaneously, but is nourished by a long process in which we can identify four phases:
1. Trigger phase
The trigger phase takes place when the first aggression is received, generally physical This destroys the security and trust that the victim believed was given to her by the person who has now become her aggressor. A situation of abuse and danger is triggered.
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After the triggering phase occurs, the victim feels disorientation and uncertainty about the new direction their relationship has just taken.
Anxiety, guilt, shame and sadness are the main emotions expressed by the attacked person feelings that make the person rethink the beliefs they had about their partner, in search of a new balance that compensates for the fear.
3. Coping phase
The victim contrasts the challenges of the new situation with the personal resources available to him Depression and stress emerge and increase even more. Pain tolerance increases, thus reducing sensitivity. The coping phase in paradoxical adaptation syndrome is the one in which passive resistance appears.
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4. Adaptation phase
Finally comes the phase of paradoxical adaptation itself. The deterioration of the relationship also causes physical and mental deterioration in the victim, leading her to progressively submit to the conditions imposed by her aggressor. The feeling of inferiority makes one come to identify with the aggressor at some point, and even feel sorry for him
Once these four phases have occurred, paradoxical adaptation would occur. The victim ends up protecting herself by changing her behavior and her attitude toward the aggressor. In this way, the initial rejection of what her partner had done to her becomes a kind of plea for protection, even compassion for what she has done to him. This syndrome can be so alienating that it makes the victim thank their attacker for not inflicting more pain on them.
