Trauma perpetrated by someone with whom the victim is close and reliant upon for support
Betrayal trauma is defined as a trauma perpetrated by someone with whom the victim is close to and reliant upon for support and survival.[1][2] The concept was originally introduced by Jennifer Freyd in 1994. Betrayal trauma theory (BTT), addresses situations when people or institutions on which a person relies for protection, resources, and survival violate the trust or well-being of that person.[2] BTT emphasizes the importance of betrayal as a core antecedent of dissociation, implicitly aimed at preserving the relationship with the caregiver.[3] BTT suggests that an individual (e.g. a child or spouse), being dependent on another (e.g. their caregiver or partner) for support, will have a higher need to dissociate traumatic experiences from conscious awareness in order to preserve the relationship.[3]
^Goldsmith, Rachel E.; Freyd, Jennifer J.; DePrince, Anne P. (February 2012). "Betrayal trauma: associations with psychological and physical symptoms in young adults". Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 27 (3): 547–567. doi:10.1177/0886260511421672. ISSN1552-6518. PMID21987504. S2CID16087885.
^ abFreyd, Jennifer J. (1998-02-06). Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse (Reprint ed.). Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press. ISBN978-0-674-06806-3.
^ abGIESBRECHT, TIMO; MERCKELBACH, HARALD (2009). "Betrayal trauma theory of dissociative experiences: Stroop and directed forgetting findings". The American Journal of Psychology. 122 (3): 337–348. doi:10.2307/27784407. JSTOR27784407. PMID19827703. S2CID14485573.