Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Palo Alto University, CA, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2022 Mar;37(5-6):2705-2728. doi: 10.1177/0886260520938516. Epub 2020 Jul 13.
Childhood abuse survivors may display both inward and outward aggression manifested in self-injurious behavior (SIB) and violent acts toward others. Scrutinizing the literature reveals that the relational dynamics between victims and their perpetrators might be involved in these phenomena. Yet, research on this subject matter has been sparse. Filling this gap, this study investigated the contribution of the singular bonds between victims and their perpetrators, known as identification with the aggressor, in explaining survivors' aggression. The study was conducted among 306 Israeli college/university students who reported a history of childhood abuse. Results revealed that levels of adopting the perpetrator's experience, identifying with the perpetrator's aggression, and replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator were significantly associated with survivors' inward and outward aggression. Moreover, profile type-that is, having high versus low levels of identification with the aggressor-was implicated in participants' SIBs, urge to harm others, and violent acts toward others, above and beyond the effects of gender and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The present findings suggest that identification with the aggressor might make survivors prone to the re-enactment of past abusive dynamics, which, in turn, could eventuate in aggression toward themselves and others.
受虐儿童幸存者可能表现出内向和外向的攻击性，表现为自我伤害行为 (SIB) 和对他人的暴力行为。仔细研究文献表明，受害者和施害者之间的关系动态可能涉及到这些现象。然而，关于这个主题的研究还很稀少。为了填补这一空白，本研究调查了受害者和施害者之间单一联系的贡献，即认同攻击者，以解释幸存者的攻击性。该研究在 306 名以色列大学生中进行，他们报告了童年虐待的经历。结果表明，采用施害者经历、认同施害者攻击行为以及用施害者的代理权取代自己的代理权的程度与幸存者的内向和外向攻击性显著相关。此外，在性别和创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 症状的影响之外，与攻击者认同的类型（即具有高与低水平的认同）与参与者的 SIB、伤害他人的冲动和对他人的暴力行为有关。本研究结果表明，认同攻击者可能使幸存者容易重演过去的虐待性动态，从而导致对自己和他人的攻击性。
