The cycle of abuse refers to the somewhat grim pattern that many people who were abused as children go on to abuse their own kids. This creates a depressing spiral wherein generation after generation of kids get hit, raped, belittled, neglected, etc.
Paradoxically enough, I see this as a source of hope. The key word in the above paragraph is 'many'. If many people who are abused (or otherwise traumatized) go on to abuse, this means that some do not. Furthermore, some others abuse less damagingly than they were abused.
Now, the interesting thing is to study the history of convicted child abusers. Studies of people who sexually molest children have shown that the vast majority of them (about 98%) were sexually molested themselves as children. I have not seen as clear a connection in the more general case of all child abusers. However, I consider it reasonable to suppose that most people who abuse their kids suffered some significant formative trauma. All research that I have read in the area supports such a supposition.
What conclusions can be drawn from this picture? Each person who abuses less than they were abused contributes to a generation which is collectively less traumatized than its predecessor. (There will be exceptions in this caused by external traumas: war, natural disaster etc.) I propose that this decrease in collective trauma level is one of the driving forces behind the change which I have been documenting in human nature.
A common theme is that of bequeathing a better world to ones children. I think that we have evidence that not only is this possible, but that it has been happening for millenia. Personally, as I struggle to teach my children better ways to manage their emotions than I was taught, I find this immensely reassuring.
