Child abuse can lead to extreme self-hatred and despair.

Evidence

At the core of my soul, I hated myself more than anybody or anything. I came to believe that everything that happened to me or around me was my own fault because I had let it go on for so long. I wanted what others had, but saw no way to get it, so I hated them for having it. I wanted to be strong, but inside I knew I was a wimp. I never had the courage to stand up to The Bitch, so I knew I deserved whatever happened to me. For years, Mother had brainwashed me by having me shout aloud, “I hate myself. I hate myself.” Her efforts paid off. A few weeks before I started the fifth grade, I hated myself so much that I wished I were dead. — Dave Pelzer, A Child Called ‘It’, 266

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Dave Pelzer, A Child Called ‘It’, 266
• XREF: connects to: Child abuse can be more psychologically damaging than physical harm. — Dave Pelzer, A Child Called ‘It’, 75; Children can suffer deep emotional pain from parental neglect. — Dave Pelzer, A Child Called ‘It’, 108; Actions driven by desperation can lead to lifelong shame. — Crews, Harry, A childhood the biography of a place, 258 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• What lingers from childhood punishment is shame and smallness, not the physical pain. #complicates (0.80) — , The Rod and the Child, 8449