![]() ![]() They expect the institution that espouses concern for their needs to 'have their backs,' but often they fall short."īetrayal trauma recovery first begins with recognizing that harmful events and situations are really tough. "This is also something common that people of color and others with marginalized identities face. "Failure to prevent or respond supportively to reported individual incidents by an institution constitutes betrayal trauma," Coker explains. The person experiencing this form of betrayal trauma may not necessarily be a direct victim of physical abuse or violence. This can also be referred to as 'institutional trauma.'" In such cases, the violated officer may not only feel aggrieved by their attacker, but distrust can lead to limited interaction with other teammates and a lack of faith in the entire system. In this example, the lack of response may be even more traumatic than the sexual assault itself. "When the assault is reported or discovered, there's no reaction or an inappropriate response from the military. "An example of betrayal trauma could be officers in the military being sexually assaulted," Conquest explains. It frequently happens at an institutional level. That said, betrayal trauma theory argues that safe and trustworthy attachments can be developed if these traumas are properly confronted and healed.īetrayal trauma also doesn't have to be at an individual level, Coker and Conquest note. Instead, we must suppress and ignore the betrayal in order to have our needs met."Īccording to the 2008 Encyclopedia of Psychological Trauma, in instances of betrayal trauma, "the victim may be less aware or less able to recall the traumatic experience because to do so will likely lead to confrontation or withdrawal by the betraying caregiver, threatening a necessary attachment relationship and thus the victim's survival." Betrayal triggers can be particularly hard to grasp in situations where there isn't a direct antecedent, Coker adds. "In this case, it isn't to our advantage to react in the 'normal way' to the betrayal (i.e., leave the relationship or institution). The impacts of betrayal trauma are often compounded by the fact that the person who was harmed may need to remain in the abusive relationship for survival, as in the case of child abuse or institutional abuse, Coker explains. "This can range from early childhood experiences where our basic needs weren't met, to infidelity within romantic relationships, to institutional silence with regards to highly charged social justice issues." "Generally speaking, betrayal trauma is 'triggered' when a person/institution that we rely on for support (food, shelter, safety, emotional needs, job security) violates our boundaries," Coker explains. ![]() Betrayal trauma can also happen when an institution, such as a government or law enforcement body, harms the individuals it claims to serve. In the 1990s, psychologist Jennifer Freyd coined the concept "betrayal trauma" to describe what "occurs when the people or institutions on which a person depends for survival significantly violate that person's trust or well-being." Infidelity, child abuse, and intimate partner violence are examples of events that can cause betrayal trauma because they all involve a breach of trust between people in an intimate relationship. ![]()
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