The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Abuse

In today's society, while parents are supposed to nurture their children, some are either the ones who cause them the most pain or are oblivious to the fact that their child is depressed or abused. The effect that sexual abuse has on a young child is inexpressible and can affect the way an individual functions. In society, many people underestimate the impact of sexual abuse, especially on young teenage girls, but in the two novels that I studied, the impact that sexual abuse has on a child's life is clearly severe and apparent.

Father absences often cause many problems in the legislations a child has with either their significant other or other family members. In an article written by Ellis (2003), father absences are what cause females to become sexually active or pregnant. However, in the novels, Push and The Color Purple, the fathers are the ones who are sexually active with their daughters. These two disturbing, yet powerful novels are based on the perspective of two poor, African- American girls, named Precious and Cell. Their entire lives revolve around emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

In these two novels, the sexual abuse Is caused by their father's dominant personalities, their psychological problems, and their own hatred towards men, while the deterioration of family relationships, low self-esteem, and gravitation towards females are all effects of sexual abuse. Psychological and social problems are often regarded as the most significant effects of sexual abuse against young teenage girls. Women have always been oppressed by men and have been subjected to so much negativity as a result of male dominance.

Order custom essay The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Abuse with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

In Precious' case, Precious' dominant father compels her to have sex with him in order to satisfy his own sexual needs. The most prominent cause of sexual abuse In this Instance Is mainly his lack of appreciation towards his daughter and his oppressive behavior. Throughout the novel, his failed relationships with Precious and Mary provoke his aggression towards Precious. Mary and Allophones relationship lacks stability and has a negative impact on the relationship Precious has with both her father and mother. Precious' parents were never married to begin with, but after a period of time, Precious' father decides to abandon his family.

According to two authors at Princeton university, Beck and McClellan (2010), there are different causes of low relationship quality and stability, and this is simply one of them. Impaired family relationships are the most essential factors of sexual abuse in both novels. Carol's dominant personality is the main causation of all the problems he encounters with Mary, thus provoking him to leave her permanently. His dominant traits are shown when Mary feels obligated to him and complies with him Into raping their own daughter. Despite the fact that Precious Is his daughter, Carl disregards the Immorality of his actions.

The torment that he puts Precious through Is unbelievable and the sexual abuse continues for many years. In this case, Carol's dominance and control over the two females Is widely Incorporated In the novel. The time before she becomes impregnated by him, not once, but twice. The two babies she gives birth to symbolize the struggles that she has had to overcome and the struggles that she will face in the future. Despite the fact that she was only 12 years old at the time her first baby was born, she becomes impregnated for the second time, four years later, at the age of 16.

The abuse that she becomes subjected to causes her a great deal of pain and suffering, and it also causes a great deal of tension between Precious and her mother, Mary. Since Mary despises the idea of Precious achieving anything good in her life, she insists on Precious quitting school. Her overbearing and aggressive personality causes Precious to quit the one thing she feels so deeply for, which is her education. Precious' entire life is a very abusive and ongoing cycle, and for the most part, it is a result of the sexual abuse and the abandonment of her father after the birth of their two children.

Since Precious has the responsibility to take care of two children, Mary, being the ruthless person that she is, uses this as an opportunity to help her through her own financial difficulties. However, when Precious entertains the idea of attending an alternative school and moving out with her two children, Mary clearly discourages this idea since she relies on the welfare to escape her financial struggles. A countless number of problems arise through these discussions and that soon causes Mary to reach her ultimate breaking point with Precious.

All these problems that they encounter are problems which surfaced after Carol's absence. Their poor family relationship is one of the main effects of Carol's abuse towards Precious, and it is quite evident that his dominating personality is what caused the abuse. The problems illustrated by Sapphire are what ultimately causes the deterioration of their family relationship and forces Precious to lose the last bit of hope that she has for her family. The main character of The Color Purple, Cell, is taken advantage of by her dominant and aggressive father, Alphorns, who uses her vulnerability to sexually abuse her.

In the novel The Color Purple, Collie's parents have a very dysfunctional relationship, especially because Collie's mother is ill and is incapable of pleasing her husband's sexual desires. His controlling behavior raises a huge concern for the entire family, and their worst fears are brought to reality when he impregnates his daughter twice. Collie's mother's illness is a burden to Alphorns, and he uses it as an excuse to sexually abuse Cell. After being impregnated by Alphorns twice, she gives birth to two beautiful babies, but has them taken away from her by him.

His oppressive behavior causes Celli to become fearful for both her and her sister, Nineties. Alphorns may not be Collie's real father, but he is still her stepfather, but she only sees him as a remorseless, dominant child molester. His dominance is shown by the way he speaks to his daughter, commanding her to have sex with him and do house work. The abuse is what causes Collie's entire youth to be destroyed, and it only worsens as she is forced to marry a man who exemplifies everything her father stands for, which is controlling and abusive.

After everything that has occurred with their family, Allophones relationship with his daughter reaches its ultimate breaking point once her mother sees, after which, he decides to enter into a new relationship with a girl who is Just around Collie's age. After dealing with the sexual abuse for quite some time, Celli feels discomfort when she is near her father, and after the death of her mother, their and characters is evidently the fact that both girls are mistreated by their controlling fathers.

In addition to the sexual abuse, both their fathers remain absent throughout their life, whether it is physically or emotionally, and their mothers are either dead or abusive. While both Celli and Precious' superior fathers cause the sexual abuse, the effect that sexual abuse has on these two young girls is depicted as their family relationships begin to deteriorate. Due to the immense impact that sexual abuse has on these two young girls, their entire life becomes a painted picture of their destroyed family, and most importantly, the absence of their fathers.

The psychological problems that one has to deal with can often control their life and become the reason why they act a certain way. This is evident in the case of Precious' father, Carl. Carol's problems with Mary, and his own insecurities, are what cause him o abuse his daughter, both verbally and sexually. A person does not abuse another individual for no significant reason, but there is always reasoning behind their actions. In the beginning of the novel, Sapphire illustrates Carl as a man who shows no remorse or compassion, someone who likes to take advantage of young girls.

The abuse inflicted on a young child can often cause the deterioration of their character, most importantly, their self-esteem. Throughout the novel Push, there are many instances that depict the psychological issues that Precious is subjected to, mainly as result of the sexual abuse she endures from her father. Afterwards, Precious becomes very insecure and feels disgusted at the fact that she has tolerated the abuse for so long, regardless of the fact that she is only a child and is not capable of preventing it.

According to Borer and Fine (1992), a child's development can be severely affected by sexual abuse, as well as other forms of child maltreatment. Being sexually abused as a child can dictate how an individual functions in their everyday life, and that is evident in Precious' case. Precious becomes so accustomed to the dead that she is nothing but a useless, obese, and illiterate girl, and that no man would ever want to be with her. She lets the abuse dictate how she feels about certain matters, especially regarding her appearance.

Her most apparent weakness is her lack of self-esteem as she constantly refers to herself as a girl from a poor neighborhood, with parents who wish nothing but her ultimate worst. Although it is evident that she feels a sense of emptiness from the psychological and sexual abuse she was subjected to by her father, and the agony her mother puts her through, she goes not acknowledge the fact that that is the reason why she behaves the way she does. Her perspective on what a perfect family consists of becomes shattered, and she feels as if she will always be a victim of abuse.

The abuse from both her parents causes her to become extremely vulnerable and weak, and she constantly disregards the fact that the relationship she has with her parents is the causation of all her problems, especially problems dealing with her lack of confidence. Stress, anxiety, depression, and grief, can often impact an individual's behavior, and if one feels as f their sexual needs have not been satisfied, their desires will expand. "The sexual cycle begins with desire. Desire is in the mind" ("When Sexual Desire Disappears, 2014").

Constant fights over sexual needs can cause many problems, especially because of differences in sexual drive. In Collie's case, this is very apparent. Collie's father and mother have a very distant relationship and it only causes more burden behaves as if she is already dead, mainly since she is ill and cannot do many things to satisfy him. As a result of her illness, Alphorns expresses his anger by demanding Celli to satisfy the sexual needs that her mother failed to do, which ultimately means that she must replace her mother. His lack of security and love in his own relationship causes him to behave inappropriately towards Cell.

As a result of all these problems that he has to deal with, he feels a lack of stability in his relationship and suffers from his own issues within himself. However, since Celli is forced to deal with the behavior of her father, her lack of self-esteem is displayed more and more, especially since she is the only child that has to tolerate the abuse. Collie's self- esteem becomes the root of many of her problems as she often discusses her lack of appearance, knowledge, and talent, especially when compared to her sister, Nineties.

While Nineties exemplifies everything a woman would want to be and everything a man would want in a woman, Celli portrays herself as the ugly sister that no one would want, which is the ultimate reason why she feels a certain way towards her sister. Evidently, since she is the only one child that has to endure her father's brutality, she becomes more and more vulnerable throughout the entire novel, which causes her to ender what exactly attracts her to this all this negativity in her life.

It is only appropriate for her to question what she is doing so wrongly that she is the only person being forced to experience this, and that becomes the reason why she has an ongoing battle with her sister. Her constant comparison with her sister affects the way she looks at herself, mainly since she knows that Nineties is someone who is incomparable. Despite Collie's constant effort in establishing a relationship with her father, she becomes distraught over the fact that her father displays so much love ND appreciation towards Nineties, regardless of the fact that Celli is the only person who complies with his orders.

Allophones psychological issues regarding his relationship with Collie's mom and his failed relationships become the causation of his attitude towards Cell. Meanwhile, the abuse Celli experiences only causes her to have less and less confidence in herself. Being impregnated twice, by your own father, can severely affect your perspective on men. When an individual is subjected to such abuse, it can have an immense impact on their perspective of men or women, and the way they look at life in general.

Many children who suffer from sexual abuse find it extremely difficult to depart from their past struggles, and hold a grudge against those who cause them so much pain. Women with a history of sexual, emotional, or physical abuse may regard men as "keyholes", "inconsiderate", and "unloving", and as they reach an older age they often remember all the events that occurred when they were younger. In both novels, it is evident that both Precious and Celli share the same hatred and fear towards men, and a special bond with other females.

Their fear causes them to become abused by their fathers as it is seen as a sign of weakness. After being subjected to so many negative events, it causes them to feel some sort of resentment towards their fathers and any other male character that shares the slightest similarity with their fathers, thus making them gravitate towards females. As Precious' parents are unable to support Precious' desires to gain her GEED, Precious' teacher at her alternative school provides her with the support and love that her parents have failed to do. Ms.

Blue, Precious' teacher, shares a mother- receives help from her in ways that she could never have imagined. While Precious appears to lack relationships with men, the bond she shares with Ms. Blue is the polar opposite of the bond she shares with any other individual, especially those who are men. Sapphire emphasizes the importance that female characters have on Precious, mainly the importance of Ms. Blue and Precious' female friends from her class. In an article written by Abash (201 1), he discusses the disproportion of teenage pregnancies, especially among minority youth.

He makes it clear that teenage pregnancies deeply affect one's academic accomplishments and that applies in Precious' case. This particular article is relevant to Precious' circumstance as her most important goal is to successfully complete school, and while all her problems are caused by her father, her achievements are a result of the help she has from her female friends and Ms. Blue. As it is extremely difficult for girls in Precious' neighborhood to get an education, Precious feels even more appreciative towards Ms. Blue. Ms.

Blue helps Precious become aware of the effort it takes to attend school and obey the teacher's rules, and in this form she learns how to act like a civilized person. In addition to that, Ms. Rain helps Precious by allowing her to stay over at her house as Precious states "l can tell by Ms Rain's face I'm not goanna be homeless no more" (Sapphire, 1996, p. 79). While Sapphire makes it evident that Precious feels discomfort whenever she is near men, she also states that Precious feels a sense of belonging when she is surrounded by other women, with the exception of her mother.

In the novel The Color Purple, Collie's fear and hatred towards men is very noticeable. Her father's abuse towards her scars her for life and deeply affects the way she views men. However, she fears him because she knows what he is capable f, and she feels as if she has to show a sense of strength for her sister. Even after tolerating the abuse for so long, she is forced to marry a man named Albert. Albert shares many similarities with her father as they are abusive, dominant, and unloving.

With that said, after being in an abusive relationship with Albert, Collie's slightest bit of hope for a loving marriage and family is thrown away. With all these men taking advantage of her, she puts this abuse to an end by isolating herself from the men that cause her so much pain, and she does this with the help of her female friend, Chug Avery. With the help of Chug, Celli is able to leave her husband behind and sever ties with her husband and her father. Her emotional and physical relationship with Chug is one that she believes she could never share with any man. Us sleep like sisters, me and Chug", Celli states (Walker, 1982, p. 146). In this particular instance, Celli expresses her feelings to Chug, feelings regarding Albertan appalling behavior. As the novel progresses it is evident that their bond becomes stronger and stronger, but once another man interferes with their relationship, Celli begins to despise the man, claiming that he is an opportunist. Chug remains married to Mr... Grady in spite of Collie's concerns, which only cause Celli to become more Jealous.

Her issues with men are made more and more apparent throughout the novel, and that is the most important reason as to why she feels such a special bond with other females, such as Nineties, Chug Avery, and Sofia. Sofia is Collie's stepson's wife, and unlike Cell, Sofia is brave and able to stand up to her husband. The relationship that she has with Sofia is what empowers her, and her bond with these three girls is what confirms her actions of a man, whether it is her father of her husband, and with so much activity in her life, these three women become the only people to truly help her.

In both Push and The Color Purple, there are countless similarities shared between not only Precious and Cell, but between the two fathers, Carl and Alphorns, as well as the two most important women in Precious and Collie's lives, Ms. Blue and Chug Avery. In both novels, these two African-American teenage girls are forced to do things that most teenage girls could never imagine doing. Their controlling fathers compel them to have sex with them and impregnate them not once, but twice. Sexual abuse and father absences are the most recognizable themes in both novels, Push and The Color Purple.

In these two novels the main female characters are forced to deal with the sexual abuse and torment inflicted on them by their dominant fathers. Dominating personalities, psychological problems, and hatred towards men are all causes of sexual abuse, while the deterioration of family relationships, low self- esteem, and gravitation towards females are all effects of sexual abuse. All three forms of abuse, sexual, physical, and mental abuse are applicable to the two irritations in both novels, and these forms of abuse evidently deprive them of their freedom.

As a result of the sexual abuse they endured from their father, they become impregnated twice, and evidently, the abuse causes them to have an incredibly difficult time appreciating themselves, let alone anyone else. It soon causes more trouble for them as they lose their trust in men and only surround themselves with women. Psychological and social problems are widely regarded as the most prominent effects of sexual abuse against young teenage girls in battered families.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer