Alice Miller argues that the cycle of childhood trauma is perpetuated by societal denial and the suppression of painful truths. She emphasizes that adults who mistreat children often do so because they themselves were victims of similar abuse, creating a vicious cycle. This denial is deeply ingrained in societal norms and psychoanalytic traditions, which often dismiss or minimize the impact of childhood abuse. Miller critiques this tendency, stating, 'The commandment that says ‘Thou shalt not be aware of what was done to thee, nor of what thou doest to others’ ensures that cruelty suffered in childhood is played down or modified by memory until it becomes unrecognizable.' The book uses examples like the story of the Wolf-Man to illustrate how unresolved childhood trauma manifests in destructive behaviors, highlighting the need for societal acknowledgment and intervention to break this cycle. | Alice Miller | Thou Shalt Not Be Aware

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The Cycle of Childhood Trauma and Denial

Alice Miller argues that the cycle of childhood trauma is perpetuated by societal denial and the suppression of painful truths. She emphasizes that adults who mistreat children often do so because they themselves were victims of similar abuse, creating a vicious cycle. This denial is deeply ingrained in societal norms and psychoanalytic traditions, which often dismiss or minimize the impact of childhood abuse. Miller critiques this tendency, stating, 'The commandment that says ‘Thou shalt not be aware of what was done to thee, nor of what thou doest to others’ ensures that cruelty suffered in childhood is played down or modified by memory until it becomes unrecognizable.' The book uses examples like the story of the Wolf-Man to illustrate how unresolved childhood trauma manifests in destructive behaviors, highlighting the need for societal acknowledgment and intervention to break this cycle.

-- Alice Miller