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Graceson Diggs

Debra Jizi

URWT 1104- 017

9 April, 2017

Citations

Gehrman Elizabeth, Special to Harvard News Office |, Peter Reuell, Harvard Staff Writer |, Alvin

Powell, Harvard Staff Writer |, Anna Cowenhoven Harvard Correspondent |, Jill Radsken,

Harvard Staff Writer |, Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent |, and Liz Mineo, Harvard

Staff Writer |. "Verbal beatings hurt as much as sexual abuse." Harvard Gazette. N.p., 26 Apr.

2007. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

The effects of verbal abuse or verbal aggression can be long lasting, according to

Harvard researchers. Angry personalities, narcissistic behavior, obsessive compulsive

disorders, and paranoia are some of the long term affects it can cause at a young age.

Children, teens, and adults who experience, or have experienced, any type of verbal

aggression are at a much higher risk for these issues. It is made clear in this article

that verbal abuse can have the same, if not longer lasting, effects as physical or sexual

abuse because it is constantly happening.

It is important for my inquiry project to talk about the lasting effects that can go

along with being verbally abused as a child. By showing these, I can inform parents

on how their behavior directly affects their kids future. Direct or indirect aggression

towards a child can lower their self-esteem and cause them to perform poorly in
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school, which in return will bring more aggression from parents. Sometimes its a

cycle, and I want to be able to break that and help kids in similar situations as mine.

This article was posted on the Harvard News website under the Science and

Health section by William J. Cromie, who served Harvard for 18 years. He was the

cofounder of CDPHP (), and served as President and CEO for 7 years. After receiving

is B.A. and M.D., he received his M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutes

Lally School.

Gross, Dr. Gail. "How to Build a Positive Relationship With Your Child." The Huffington

Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

One of the most important parts of parenting is for the child to know they can go

to their parents with anything. If a child is more worried about the punishment theyll

receive, they will go to their parents for support less and the relationship will worsen

over time. This article gives advice for parents on how to have a better relationship

with their children. Many parents try to protect their children from the same mistakes

they have made in the past. Instead, they need to guide their children in the right

direction, but let them make their own decisions. Learning from our own mistakes is

just a part of being human.

Verbal abuse directly relates to the relationship between parents and children,

because good communication results in a healthy relationship. The tips offered in this

article, if followed by parents, can help to resolve bad relationships with their kids. If
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anger can be controlled, and there is a peaceful household, these steps will comfort

and put ease to the kids mind.

Dr. Gail Gross is very well known for her work and involvement in psychology,

education, and family relationship in national and regional media. After receiving her

Masters degree in secondary education with a focus in psychology from the

University of St. Thomas in Houston, she received her second Ph.D. in Psychology.

She is the author of several books on the topics of parenting and childrens education.

Ludden, David. "How You Can Survive Anyone's Verbal Attack." Psychology Today. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

This article explains how to deal with verbal abuse, and why someone may be

expressing verbal abuse with or without knowing so. It can be hard to understand why

people lash out and embarrass you in front of your colleagues or yell at you for a

mistake you made, or maybe even for no reason. Luddens article gives you practical

ways to deal with verbal abuse through the example of a work environment. While he

tends to keep giving from that situation, you can apply his general techniques to just

about any verbal abusive encounter you may have.

My inquiry project is mainly centered around children and verbal abuse in their

homes from parents, but this article shines a light on how parents can learn to manage

their stress and anger. Not only do I want to help kids that have been in similar

situations as me, but I would also like to help the parents so that the abuse can come

to an end.
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After reading the article and looking at the website itself, I could tell that it is kept

updated and organized. At the bottom was a link to give more information on the

author, which is very nice if youre looking for a credible source. Here, I read that

David Ludden attended the University of Iowa, where he earned his Ph.D. in

cognitive psychology and he is the author of a textbook on the subject.

Meece, Darrell|Soderman Anne K. "Positive Verbal Environments: Setting the Stage for

Young Children's Social Development." Young Children. National Association for the

Education of Young Children. 1313 L Street NW Suite 500, Washington, DC 22205-

4101. Tel: 800-424-2460; Tel: 202-232-8777; Fax: 202-328-2649; e-mail:

editorial@naeyc.org; Web site: http://journal.naeyc.org, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 09 Apr.

2017.

This article gives ways to better deal with children in a classroom setting. The

authors, Darrel Meece and Anne Soderman, provided many tips on ways to handle

social interactions with kids. They explain ways in which authority figures can teach

kids in a more positive way than most teachers and parents do now. The main idea I

brought out of the article is that telling a child not to do something will have a worse

outcome rather than showing or telling them politely what you want them to do. The

authors stress the importance of teachers sending out positive statements and

encouragement to teach them, and how kids can do things for themselves. Yes, they

need assistance with many things, but small chores and clean-ups, they can handle

themselves.
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My inquiry project is more centered around children and their verbal relationship

with their parents, but this article gave many great teaching tips that could any parent

could benefit from. Many parents try to teach their kids with negative statements, not

even thinking much into it. This article explains how that can affect children, without

them realizing.

Right from the start I knew that this article was one to trust because it can be

found on the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)

website. The first author, Darrel Meece, is a professor at the University of Tennessee

at Chattanooga and teaches child development and early childhood education. The

second author, Anne Soderman, is a principal at 3e International School in Beijing,

China. She was previously a professor at Michigan State University, and is the

coauthor of the book relating to childrens social development. The layout of the

article is neat and easy to follow, with many references to the NAEYC.

Sommers, Sam, et al. Verbal Abuse of Children: What Can You Do About It? Psychology

Today, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/resolution-not-conflict/201403/verbal-abuse-

children-what-can-you-do-about-it. Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.

In Susan Heilters article, she discusses ways that parents and parent figures can

avoid expressing verbal abuse towards their kids. Many verbally abusive parents may

try to escape going treatment, so Heitler recommends using BodyTalk and even

meditation. Just one good relationship to the kid, whether it be a teacher, grandma, or

friend could completely change their situation emotionally. The article states how
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important it is to explain to children that even though they see and hear the abuse, to

realize that it is only a short burst of anger within their parent, and that is isnt their

fault.

All of the information I read directly relates to my inquiry project. I am looking

for a way to help educate parents on how to deal with their stress and anger, and this

article explains just that. Verbal abuse is something that happens more often than

people realize, and it can be in slight ways, to where a child may not even know that

the parent is doing any wrong. I want to share with everyone I can, whether it be

parents, teachers, coaches, or even children themselves, that verbal abuse is not okay

and can have long term effects.

Judging by the details and content of Heitlers article, I believe it is a credible

source to retain information from. Along with providing a picture and description, this

website lists many other well-known books written by the author. She has authored a

workshop manual for therapists to lead couples groups and has created an interactive

website for teaching about healthy relationships. It also states that she is a graduate of

Harvard with a doctorate from NYU, so it is proven that she has had a great

education.