So few of us escape childhood without experiencing at least a little bit of trauma. Even when we have the best parents, things can happen to us. Children are at the whim of the adults around them, and not everyone has a child’s best interests in mind when making decisions that will affect them. Trauma experienced in childhood can rule the decisions you make as an adult. Often, the coping skills we needed as a child backfire on us when we try to apply them in the adult world. Many of us find ourselves repeating the same mistakes throughout our adult lives without ever knowing just how much our decision-making process is impacted by what happened to us in childhood.
Childhood trauma can have a profound and lasting impact on decision-making processes in adulthood. Traumatic experiences during childhood can disrupt the development of various cognitive, emotional, and social capacities, which can influence decision-making in the following ways:
- Emotional Regulation: Childhood trauma can impair emotional regulation skills, leading to difficulties in managing and expressing emotions effectively. This can result in impulsive decision-making or emotional reactivity, where individuals may make choices based on intense emotions rather than rational evaluation of options.
- Risk Perception: Trauma can alter one’s perception of risk and safety. Individuals who have experienced childhood trauma may perceive threats or risks more intensely, leading to heightened vigilance and an inclination to make decisions that prioritize immediate safety, even in situations where the risk may be minimal.
- Trust and Relationships: Trauma can affect the ability to trust others and form healthy relationships. This can impact decision-making, as individuals may struggle to seek support, collaborate, or make decisions that involve trusting others. They may exhibit avoidance or choose isolation as a way to protect themselves, limiting their ability to engage in collaborative decision-making.
- Cognitive Biases: Childhood trauma can influence cognitive biases that affect decision-making. For example, individuals may exhibit confirmation bias, seeking information that confirms their negative beliefs or expectations. They may also display a negativity bias, where negative experiences or outcomes are given more weight, leading to overly cautious decision-making.
- Self-Efficacy and Self-Worth: Trauma can undermine self-esteem, self-worth, and self-efficacy—the belief in one’s ability to accomplish tasks and make effective decisions. Low self-esteem and diminished self-efficacy can lead to decision-making that is overly cautious, avoidance of challenges, or reliance on others to make choices on their behalf.
- Coping Strategies: Childhood trauma can shape the development of coping strategies that may impact decision-making in adulthood. Some individuals may adopt maladaptive coping mechanisms such as substance abuse, risk-taking behaviors, or self-destructive choices as a way to manage distressing emotions or regain a sense of control.
It’s important to note that while childhood trauma can have a significant impact on decision-making, individuals are not predetermined to make poor choices as a result. With support, therapy, and opportunities for healing, individuals can develop resilience, learn healthy coping strategies, and improve their decision-making skills.
The reason I’m sharing all this info is to get to the point of me writing this post, which is to introduce you the The Crappy Childhood Fairy if you haven’t yet stumbled across her on YouTube. I love this lady, and I think you will too if you’re in need of the same type of assistance I am.
You know, I once had a really great therapist who was such a huge help to me. But then I moved to another state, and I haven’t been able to find another one who has been any help to me at all. Just watching Anna’s videos and learning about how my childhood trauma led me to make the bad decisions that screwed my life up royally for years has been huge. So if you find yourself struggling like I did, I highly recommend that you check out her channel. The video I shared above is a great place to start.
NOTE: Full disclosure: I used chat.openai.com to help me formulate the more scientific portions of this blog post. That’s why I’m not citing other sources. I am not a therapist, but I have taken some psych course and read a lot and have at least a good enough understanding to believe that what I have posted here is true. However, if you actually are a psychologist/psychiatrist/licensed therapist/counselor, feel free to correct me on anything I have posted here that may be incorrect. I am open to learning more on the topic from a legitimate source. (But if you’re someone who calls themselves a counselor because your church lets you “counsel” people, that doesn’t count. You can keep your uneducated opinions to yourself. Sorry, not sorry.)
Write on the World 