The Stressful Effects of the Persecution of Jews during the Holocaust on Anne Frank
Humans are known to be very resilient and can survive the most extreme of conditions. The Jews were prosecuted during World War II and experienced some things that people today could never have imagined. People were being taken from their homes at spontaneous moments and very essentially sent to their deaths. The ones that were not taken managed to either escape or go into hiding. For those Jews sent into hiding, they were forced to go through inadequate conditions with very limited supplies. The emotional and physical challenges they had to endure was sure to bring out some of the worst in them in order to survive. The effects of being ripped from one's everyday life was sure to have been extremely arduous and must have damaged them mentally.
Being locked in an attic for an extended period amount of time, cut off from the world, and surviving with little food and water; that's what 15-year old Anne Frank was experiencing, due to her religion. Along with seven others, Anne Frank went through an emotional rollercoaster dealing with issues such as her faith, those around her, and watching the world go on without her. The only way Anne was able to keep her sanity was by venting to her diary and keeping a record of the events going on as well as the dates. Frank however, was not the only one stuck in hiding. Countless of other men, women, and children were displaced and sent all over the country and some out of the country. Trying to escape the violence and persecution some took to forests, underground railroads, and any other areas that they could find. These individuals "dealt with a more extreme loss of support and a wider range of deprivation such as starvation, extreme exposure to the elements, physical sickness and intense fear" (Yehuda, Kahana, Binder-Brynes et al. 454).
Without a support system many of these people were simply losing their minds. They had no way of coping with what was going on and were left with the world against them. Wolf writes that keeping a diary was usually too risky and frowned upon. Many children were asked to forget their identities and take on new ones (127). This shows that children were already being told to change everything about themselves and assume new personalities and lives in order to survive. Being forced to forget one's roots could possibly cause an extreme amount of stress when the person is trying to reestablish themselves in society. This creates extreme confusion for the child or adult and can often lead to mental diseases such as Multiple Personality Disorder. "Solitude brought with it intrapersonal feelings of loneliness, sadness, anxiety, helplessness, and hopelessness. I felt disconnected from my personal and professional communities" (Bowker and Coplan xvi). This could essentially mean that people in hiding are more susceptible to negative emotions and all the effects that come with it. Surely, all the time spent in the attic must have affected Anne Frank and the other members. Anne would describe times in which her and Mrs. van Dan would argue over trivial things.
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Mr. van Daan would constantly verbally attack Mr. Dussell over hording food. Solitude and isolation for an extended period of time not only brings about feelings of sadness or loneliness, but feelings of anger and desperation. Above all, humans have an incredible will to survive. The Jewish people went through a lot of persecution and challenges but they were able to make it out. There was a tremendous toll on them physically and mentally. They did not come out without a couple battle wounds. The Jews in hiding were under a high amount of stress that brought about mental diseases. It was hard to escape everything without losing a piece of their mind. A person could only take so much mental stress after being contained in a group for an extended period of time. If given the right conditions and the willpower, a person will do whatever necessary in order to survive. Works Cited Coplan, Robert J, and Julie C. Bowker.
The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone., 2014. Internet resource. Wolf, Diane L. Beyond Anne Frank: Hidden Children and Postwar Families in Holland. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. Internet resource. Yehuda, Rachel, James Schmeidler, Larry J. Siever, Karen Binder-Brynes, and Abbie Elkin. "Individual Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Profiles in Holocaust Survivors in Concentration Camps or in Hiding." Journal of Traumatic Stress. 10.3 (1997): 453-463. Print.
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The Stressful Effects of the Persecution of Jews during the Holocaust on Anne Frank. (2023, Apr 16). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-stressful-effects-of-the-persecution-of-jews-during-the-holocaust-on-anne-frank/
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