Adverse Effects of Witnessing Violence

Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/adverse-effects-of-witnessing-violence/5013044/

Brain Basics

Mounting evidence reveals that the adverse neurological effects of experiencing or witnessing violence are considerable. The brain is designed to sense, process, store, and then act on information related to survival. The more activated a particular area of the brain becomes, the more stimulated it will be to organize and develop - often at the expense of other areas of the brain. This process is known as use dependent learning.

Essentially we have three brain structures, composed of a midbrain (which we share with the reptiles), a limbic system emotional brain (which we share with the other mammals), and a cortex thinking brain (which is distinctly human). We store memories and information at each of these sites. The stored material is later activated in several ways. We use cognitive memory to recall a phone number or a person's name. Emotional memory brings on sadness when we hear an oldies song reminiscent of a long lost love. Relying on spatial memory, we are able to find our way home without a map. Kinesthetic memory helps us ride a bike even when we haven't been on one for years.

A type of memory we don't often think about also exists. It is called state ...