University Psychology Report: Power and Marginalization Case Study

This report presents a detailed analysis of power and marginalization, focusing on a case study involving a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. The report, written from a social work perspective, explores the psychological impact of trauma, including the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), clinical depression, and difficulties with social integration. It examines the interventions of a social worker, including psychotherapy and non-residential treatment methods, and assesses the progress of the individual towards social reintegration. The report also highlights the challenges in building trust, the importance of addressing specific issues like patriarchy-related resentment, and the need for continued therapy to ensure complete recovery. References to relevant psychological research and treatment methods are included to support the analysis.

Running head: POWER AND MARGINALIZATION
POWER AND MARGINALIZATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Part A
Now, less than five years later I can still hear the sobs of my 9 year old self waiting for
the torture to cease as every inch of my being shriveled into a state of perpetual numbness.
Admittedly, I was unconscious for most of it or maybe it was my mind that blocked out the
reality of the incident till it could no longer shield me from the pangs of physical pain as they
perforated the very meaning of humanity that my mind held. Yes, what’s human is almost never
humane and what’s humane is never ideally human. The acts of my father, repeated through the
course of many years, can hardly ever be looked at as humane. Yet in the eyes of society it is for
some reason absolutely human. It took me a considerable portion of the last 3 years to truly
understand the implications of the incidents that my mind chooses to disregard as real. Society
dictates that in case of such incidents the victim must approach appropriate authorities to ensure
the same is reported and resolved. However, when the same figure who is bound to protect and
shield you from the darkness of reality engulfs you with the same spite that you are to be
shielded from the value system and faith of a person are broken down into what can only be
understood as melancholy. So I shut myself up, bottled it all up till I could understand what had
really happened, and when I did I was engorged by enough shame to shake the very foundations
of my being. Public disclosure was never an option, I would go on for the next 4 years without
even conveying the same to my mother and other relatives as sympathy can never really remedy
such a situation. It was only after I entered the care of my Social Worker that I completely
opened up about the trauma that I held inside like a blade that cut a little deeper every day.

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Part B
When I first encountered Alice I could hardly fathom the horrifying encounters she
must’ve had and the helplessness she faced at every turn. She was sexually abused by her step
father till the age of 9 in repeated incidents yet there was an undeniable glimmer in her eye that
still believed in humanity. She could never go into the details of the incident without breaking
down and conversing about the same required me to gain her trust. Skepticism was now an
inherent part of her mental state and that was the wall that needed to be broken (Body-Gendrot &
Martiniello, 2016). Through various sessions with her where she remained silent and I explained
the extent to which I could help her I finally got through one day. Maybe it was the idea that the
perpetrator could be punished without her state becoming a public spectacle was what got
through to her. Over the course of more conversant sessions I came to the conclusion that she
suffered from serious post traumatic stress disorder (Yehuda et al., 2015). This was clear from
the symptoms she displayed such as anxiety towards any discussion that inclined towards
paternal heritage or value systems, her inability to comprehend logical inferences that supported
her cause but were new to her and her constant state of mental turmoil from the time of the
incident (Trimble, 2013). The best treatment for such a condition was psychotherapy which I
referred her to immediately. The results of her Rorschach test revealed that she also suffered
from clinical depression which explains why she was unable to communicate the details of the
incident to any individual or institution (Rorschach, 2013). She was asked to attend a residential
treatment centre which would aid in the elimination of the depression and the PTSD (Armour et
al., 2014). Alice however did not agree to the same as she still significantly feared the unknown.
I suggested a non-residential treatment method to the psychiatrist who agreed to undertake the
same. After 6 months of weekly therapy Alice can now leave the house by herself and has even

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started attending school and is engaged in various other social events with her peers (Turner &
Turner, 2013). As a social worker charged with the case my responsibility was to ensure social
re-integration and by the evidence before me I believe I have been able to meet my mandate.
Alice however would have to continue therapy till she feels she can fully function as a part of
society without the aid of psychiatric treatment. Rehabilitation as a procedure is especially
difficult in case of post traumatic stress disorder as the person undergoing the same would face
difficulties accepting help from social actors. In Alice’s case this particular wall has been broken
through due to the trust developed between us however in order to completely rely on psychiatric
help she would need to develop an equivalent relationship with the psychiatrist. From recent
reports Alice has stated that her problems with sleep deprivation and lethargy have reduced in
the last six months. These are signs of the clinical depression gradually fading in intensity. The
fact that Alice now has peers who she spends considerably high amounts of time with and spends
time in relatively social activities is evidence that her apprehension towards social integration
has been completely eliminated. This is also conspicuous evidence of her post traumatic stress
order being treated well. Moreover, Alice now displays an interest in social activities which
involve a considerable amount of social interaction this makes it clear that her post traumatic
stress disorder has been dealt with effectively. Her other problems with social integration was
her intense repulsion for any form of masculine presence. This is still evidently present and be
inferred from her conduct. The designated psychiatrist has stated that she would take additional
sessions for the next 3 months for the same issue. The issue here is that due to the atrocities faced
by her at the hands of her own step-father she has developed a strong resentment towards the
patriarchy as a whole. This belief cannot be changed due to her inability to discuss the incident
and her reluctance from conversing with individuals of the opposite sex. Thus, the following

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months of therapy would focus on Alice’s social integration in light of the issue at hand. It is
worthwhile to refer here that it takes intense therapy to fully curb the implications of such a
traumatic incident Alice however has displayed immense courage and had handled the same in a
commendable manner.

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Reference list
Armour, C., Elklit, A., Lauterbach, D., & Elhai, J. D. (2014). The DSM-5 dissociative-PTSD
subtype: Can levels of depression, anxiety, hostility, and sleeping difficulties differentiate
between dissociative-PTSD and PTSD in rape and sexual assault victims?. Journal of
anxiety disorders, 28(4), 418-426.
Body-Gendrot, S., & Martiniello, M. (2016). Minorities in European cities: the dynamics of
social integration and social exclusion at the neighbourhood level. Springer.
Rorschach, H. (2013). Psychodiagnostics-A diagnostic test based on perception. Read Books
Ltd.
Trimble, M. R. (2013). Post-traumatic stress disorder: History of a concept. In Trauma and its
wake (pp. 31-39). Routledge.
Turner, J. B., & Turner, R. J. (2013). Social relations, social integration, and social support.
In Handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 341-356). Springer Netherlands.
Yehuda, R., Hoge, C. W., McFarlane, A. C., Vermetten, E., Lanius, R. A., Nievergelt, C. M., ...
& Hyman, S. E. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Nature Reviews Disease
Primers, 1, 15057.

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