Book Review: “Trauma and Recovery” by Judith Herman
In Judith Herman’s seminal work on the study of pain and suffering, she explains the complexities of how trauma inserts itself into the brain’s function and daily life. The work was originally published in 1992 but has been updated with new findings as recently as 2022, to include conclusions made in the subject and partially inspired by the original publication. What’s most significant about this work to the subject of forensic behavioral analysis is its insights into how trauma “is an inherently political enterprise because it calls attention to the experience of oppressed people” (Herman, pg. 345), which aligns with the criminological theory that environment and circumstances are what’s behind an individual’s motivation to commit crime. This is how trauma can predict future criminal activity.
In one chapter, the connection between these two is especially clear: chapter five, which discusses child abuse. The book chronicles many victim accounts, and when grouped together like in this chapter, they present a whole image of what trauma does to the mind of people who face it, particularly children. Dissociation, social isolation, and mistrust of others are all common characteristics in the abused child, but one characteristic stands out as especially predictive of future criminal activity: “When it is impossible to avoid the reality of the abuse, the child must construct some system of meaning that justifies it” (Herman, pg. 150). As mentioned above, and exhibited in Herman’s description of the abused child, a prevailing theory for criminal behavior (“social learning theory”) is that we model what we observe in our environment and continue to let these behaviors exist in our environments when they go without punishment, allowing, for example, the continuous cycle of abuse and trauma to exist within generations of families (Rousseau, Module One).
Trauma, abuse specifically, can be detrimental to anybody, but is especially harmful for children who grow up in an abusive environment and aren’t aware that abuse is antisocial behavior. They develop a “malignant sense of inner badness [that] is often camouflaged by the abused child’s persistent attempts to be good. In the effort to placate the abusers, the child victim often becomes a superb performer” (Herman, pg. 154). This can develop into antisocial behavior in the child, since they aren’t aware of proactive ways of functioning in everyday life, which presents to those outside of the toxic environment as mentally ill behavior that is a product of the abuse. A child’s social environment, along with the cognitive impairment caused by the child’s own beliefs on what proactive behavior looks like, leads them to commit antisocial behavior. It should come as no surprise that nearly seventy percent of youth involved in the juvenile justice system show signs of mental illness/distress (Rousseau, Module Four).
To conclude the chapter, Herman explores how traumatized children grow into adulthood and how they cope with their memories of abuse. Though the possible generational trauma that may occur is persistent, Herman notices a different trend: many survivors go to great lengths to avoid treating others as they were treated. Many express fear and anxiety over their interpersonal relationships, and “as survivors attempt to [engage in] adult relationships, the psychological defenses formed in childhood become increasingly maladaptive” (Herman, pgs. 166-67). The conclusion that Herman comes to is that a changing perspective on trauma, and increased access to mental health resources, can help reduce the strain and impact that trauma may have on the mind and body. It’s clear while reading that the text is the foundation of our current understanding on the topic of trauma, along with being multifaceted in its application towards academic disciplines. Pain and suffering occur in everyone’s life, so by better understanding the effect of some of the most harmful forms of pain on a person’s daily function then we
References
Herman, J.L. (2022). “Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.” Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Rousseau, D. (2025). “Forensic Behavioral Analysis: Module One.” Boston University.
Rousseau, D. (2025). “Forensic Behavioral Analysis: Module Four.” Boston University.
5 comments
Hello,
This is a great post! At least for me, when I think of trauma I think about the big things like why it may or may not make a person do the things they do. I like how you mention the day to day aspects of trauma. This brings a new way for me to look at trauma that I haven’t thought of before. I haven’t experienced trauma in my life, so reading your post has exposed me to topics and ideas that I was not familiar with before.
This brings up some really good points! I like the part when you mention that kids may feel an overwhelming sense of inner badness which sets the tone for future relationships in their life. This may foster a sense of anxiety in intimate relationships. It is impressive, for lack of a better word, that survivors of abuse have the ability to not treat others the way they’ve been treated given that sometimes there is no positive role models to learn this behavior from. Our current system may be lacking in terms of doing enough to address the root cause of antisocial behavior in these situations and could do more in teaching survivors to develop healthier coping strategies to reduce the effect of trauma in their lives. Programs may need to be more hands on and teach rehabilitation in a social setting to practice these necessary skills in real-world environments. Hypothetically, it sounds like breaking the cycle of trauma and violence is absolutely possible before it impacts one’s entire adulthood which gives a hopeful tone in prevention of crime from this group of people.
This is a great blog post! I liked how you described how abuse and trauma can turn into a cycle within generations in families. Children can learn antisocial behaviors from their parents when they are abused, which the learned behaviors can be transferred to when they are older and have their own kids. There are kids that grow up in an abusive background but because they may have conventional interventions such as good role models at school or access to mental health resources, like you’ve mentioned, the kids can grow up to overcome their projected antisocial trajectory. Your post gave me more clarity on generational abuse and trauma.
This review of Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman is insightful, and you summarize the content excellently. While I have not read the book, I am curious whether Herman addresses the opposite perspective of the quote you referenced:
“Herman notices a different trend: many survivors go to great lengths to avoid treating others as they were treated. Many express fear and anxiety over their interpersonal relationships, and ‘as survivors attempt to [engage in] adult relationships, the psychological defenses formed in childhood become increasingly maladaptive'” (Herman, 1992, pp. 166-167).
In particular, does she discuss how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) might contribute to patterns of harmful behavior? In Trauma and Crisis Intervention, a course taught by Dr. Rousseau, we explored how early childhood trauma can be a predictor of criminal behavior (Rousseau, 2024).
Your review has sparked my interest in this book, and I look forward to reading it to deepen my knowledge and understanding.
References:
Herman, J.L. (2022). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Rousseau, D. (2024). Boston University Metropolitan College, MET CJ 720 Trauma and Crisis Intervention. Retrieved from https://onlinecampus.bu.edu/ultra/courses/_127887_1/cl/outline
This blog post provides a strong analysis of Judith Herman’s work on trauma and its role in criminal behavior, particularly through social learning theory. The connection between childhood trauma, antisocial tendencies, and the juvenile justice system is well-supported, emphasizing the urgency of trauma-informed interventions. The discussion of generational trauma is compelling, highlighting how some survivors break the cycle while others struggle with maladaptive behaviors.
Key questions arise: How can the justice system better support trauma-affected youth? What role do schools and social services play in prevention? What factors help some break the cycle while others repeat it?
Overall, this post effectively underscores the need for proactive mental health resources to reduce trauma’s long-term impact.
Comments are closed.