SURVIVOROLOGY: THE STUDY OF RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY
A call for victimologists to focus more of their research on individuals who are able to make the transition from victim to survivor appears on pp. 48-50 in Chapter Two of the Tenth Edition and pp. 36-37 of the Ninth Edition.
WHAT IS RESILIENCE?
See the discussion of resiliency and “survivorology” on pp. 48-50 in Ch. 2 of the Tenth Edition.
View this video released by the federal government’s Office For Victims of Crime. It was to be shown during National Victims of Crime Week in early April of 2017. See it here.
Can resilience be cultivated or is it a trait that is inborn? A professor believes the brain can be trained, as expressed here.
SHOT IN THE HEAD AND LEFT FOR DEAD, SHE BECOMES HER HIGH SCHOOL’S HOMECOMING QUEEN
Two of her classmates had dumped her into a ditch. It was nearly a miracle that two years after her near-death experience she was able to walk onto the football field on her own. Her mother describes her as “the most determined person I have ever known,” as recounted here. See her interviewed and crowned here.
GRANDMOTHER SOLVES HER OWN RAPE CASE
A victim turned into a survivor when she tracked down the man who raped her after she discovered that the detective of the sex crime unit had closed her case despite her cooperation. Her assailant turned out to be a serial rapist who attacked another woman before she helped to bring him to justice. Find out how she did it here, and see a very brief interview with her here.
KIDNAPPING VICTIMS WRITE BOOKS ABOUT THEIR NIGHTMARISH EXPERIENCES
The following three books provide additional examples of and details about abductions, and the long road to recoveryA Victim of a Kidnapping in 1992 Writes A Memoir About Being Held Underground
A nine year old girl was held captive and raped in an underground bunker by a family “friend.” Now she is 30 years old, and married with children , and is co-authoring a book about her ordeal, described here and here. View an interview by this model of resiliency here.
A Kidnap Victim Tells About 18 Years in Captivity
Describes her ordeal and explains why she sued the government; see the real-life example on pp. 436-437 in the Ninth Edition and p. 487 of the Tenth Edition.An eleven year old girl was snatched off the street and kept in a backyard compound for 18 years by a paroled sex offender. Her book describes her plight and ultimately her remarkable resiliency. Read a book review here and view an excerpt from a lengthy interview here.
A Kidnap Victim, Now An Activist Raising Awareness About Child Sexual Abuse, Writes A Book
Tells the full story of the case summarized on pp. 257-258 in the Ninth Edition and p. 287 of the Tenth Edition.Abducted at the age of 14 by a demented man and his wife, she was raped repeatedly for nine months until she was rescued. She married, went to college and set up a foundation to help sexually abused children. Read the book she wrote here and see a video clip of this resilient woman’s speaking about her ordeal here.
A cable news network has interviewed this courageous and outspoken advocate for kidnapping victims on a number of subjects. Start viewing the series of more than 10 brief videos here.
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Three Young Women Who Were Kidnapped
And Repeatedly Raped Grant Interviews
They proclaim that they are on the road to recovery after years of captivity and sexual abuse by a depraved man who kept them in his Cleveland house in chains. View their interview here and here.
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INTERVIEWS WITH SURVIVORS OF KIDNAPPINGS PROVIDE SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE “STOCKHOLME SYNDROME”
Expands upon the coverage of this concept that appears on p. 26 of Chapter One in the Ninth Edition, and p. 8 of the Tenth Edition
When hostages are rescued, the question often arises: Why didn’t they take advantage of opportunities to escape? There is a victim-blaming tinge to this inquiry. The application of the controversial concept of the Stockholme Syndrome” is often offered as an explanation. See the discussion of these issues in several videos produced by a cable news network here, here, and here.
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FAMOUS POET AND AUTHOR DIES; SHE REVEALS SHE WAS RAPED WHEN SHE WAS JUST 7 YEARS OLD
When she was just a child, her mother’s boyfriend raped her. She testified against him in court in 1938, and then he was found beaten to death, presumably by her uncles. Horrified by his murder and blaming herself for triggering it, she reacted by refusing to speak in public for nearly 6 years, as she explained in her memoir, “I know why the caged bird sings.” Read about her lifetime of achievements despite her childhood trauma here.
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COLLEGE STUDENT WHO WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED LEADS A CAMPAIGN TO PRESERVE RAPE KITS
Sheds light on the continuing controversy surrounding rape kits which is examined on p. 356 of Chapter 10 in the 9th edition.
When a student discovered that forensic evidence could be routinely destroyed after 6 months in Massachusetts, she became an activist and transformed into a survivor who made great strides in improving the situation of rape victims as well as in her own life. Watch the video here.
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A Victim Impact Statement Goes Viral; Then The Young Woman Who Was Raped Tells The Full Story In A Book
Autobiography provides a great deal of information about the person who raised awareness about campus drinking culture and victim-blaming, as presented on p. 367 of Chapter 10 of the Tenth Edition.
She was sexually assaulted by a member of the swimming team after they both drank too much at a campus party at a prestigious university. She writes a powerful victim impact statement that is widely circulated as extremely insightful, as recounted here.
She was known as “Emily Doe” in court proceedings, but she reveals her identity and discusses her recovery in her book, as reviewed here.
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The Woman Known As The “Central Park Jogger” Writes About Her Recovery
Dramatizes the suffering accompanying a sexual assault cited on p. 292-293 of Ch. 10This 1989 rape case caught the attention of the national press, partly because it took place in Manhattan’s backyard, Central Park. It also lead to screaming headlines and unfounded fears. Five teenage boys were convicted of participation in a gang rape but years later it appears they were victims of a serious miscarriage of justice. The victim was unable to identify anyone and aid the prosecution because she could not recall details about the attack. Read her story here.
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“Victim 1” Tells About Being Molested By A Highly Respected College Football Assistant Coach
The first boy to come forward and complain about sexual abuse by an assistant football coach writes about his plight in a book co-authored with his mother. The molestations took place in a number of settings, including the perpetrator’s basement while his wife was calling to him from the top of the stairs. Read the story of his quest for justice here.
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A Father Writes A Book About His Daughter’s Murder And Then Becomes A Victims’ Rights Activist
Provides more information about the transformation of a writer into a crusader; see example #3 on p. 422 in Ch. 13This article later became a basis for his book, and spurred his interest in “justice” on television, in his writings, and in his personal life. Read about his daughter who was strangled by her former boyfried here.
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Boston Bombing Victims Accentuate The Positive
Fills in details about issues of assistance and recovery in the aftermath of a terrorist attack which appear on pp. 411-413 in Ch. 11 of the Ninth Edition
See an interview with a young man seriously injured by the explosion set off by two terrorists at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 here.
Then watch an interview with a teacher being released from the hospital who is eager to find the woman who saved her life here, and to return to her students here.
A mother writes about the loss of her son but also about the encouraging progress her young daughter is making after losing a leg here.
Military veterans who have suffered amputations help Boston bombing victims who have lost their limbs, as portrayed in this video here.
A young woman faced a terrible choice: live in chronic pain or give doctors permission to amputate her leg. Now, fitted with a prosthetic device, she can kayak, do exercises, dance, and even wear high heals, as described here.
Two brothers – each lost a leg – describe the plans they have to starting a roofing business, after a year of hospitalizations, surgeries, and physical therapy in this interview.
A young woman and a young man, who each lost a leg in the explosion, recover sufficiently to successfully cross the finish line in the 2016 Boston Marathon, as described here. Then watch a candid interview with the man, who married a survivor who suffered a double amputation here.
This story about a romance arising from hardships describes the resilience of a survivor of the Boston bombing as she marries the firefighter who saved her.
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Parents Of Children Murdered in An Elementary School Massacre Find The Strength To Sue Conspiracy Theorists
A terrible slaughter of defenseless children and their teachers by a deeply disturbed young man armed with his mother’s high powered guns sparks an outcry against assault weapons in civilian hands. Fearing that public opinion might be swayed toward stricter gun ownership laws, conspiracy theorists question whether the mass shooting actually took place. A professor writes a book claiming no one died; a retiree keeps contacting relatives demanding “proof” such as autopsy reports and photos and urges that the victims’ bodies be exhumed; and the host of “Infowars” (an ardent supporter of President Trump against so-called “hoaxes” undermining his agenda) promotes these accusations on his show. As the years roll by, the still-grieving parents of the murdered children keep fighting back against these outrageous accusers by suing them in civil court, as recounted here.
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How Are Some Individuals Able To Recover From Childhood Traumas?
This article raises some important issues but doesn’t provide the answers.
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Battered Woman Gets A New Face – Literally
An estranged husband breaks into his former wife’s home, beats her with a baseball bat, and douses her face with lye. She is badly disfigured but after waiting almost six years, she receives a facial transplant, a rare operation that has been performed less than 25 times across the globe. At first glance, her mother thinks it looks like a puffy, surreal mask. Eight months have passed and she is adjusting to her improved appearance but remarks, “I don’t yet feel it is my face,” as described in an article and video here.
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A Police Officer Is Murdered But His Heart Beats On
The widow of a police officer slain in the line of duty gets to meet the elderly man who received a heart transplant from her husband. See them meet in a video interview here.
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Congresswoman’s Recovery From An Attempted Assassination Is Better Than Expected; She Focuses On Her Commitments
A mentally deranged young man fires into a crowd at a political gathering and kills several people and wounds many others, including a member of congress. Despite being shot in the head, she slowly but surely recovers more and more of her functions, to the point that today she can speak at a rally, urging her admirers to work to make the world a better place. Although she and her astronaut husband retain guns for self-defense, they are now activists for “sensible” gun control legislation, as explained in a series of videos here.
