#file:meta

[notstpd-a-blog]

LUX DOES A VERY SCATTER BRAINED META POST.

victims & survivors of child abuse are most likely to develop cases of post-traumatic stress disorder and tend to have very serious cases. people who live with ptsd often have flashbacks (which has been displayed many times within the show’s first season when she’s anxiously pacing and waiting for mike and see’s the cat; also while watching the television and seeing the coca cola commercial, while she’s sitting in the closet waiting for mike to come back, etc). they are more prone to nightmares and intrusive memories where they feel as if they are reliving the event - which could lead to potential meltdowns.

a sufferer of ptsd experiences increased anxiety and startles fairly easily - this can be seen evidently in loud sounds that startle her or fast movements. she’s been through very inhumane and traumatic things - all of this is going to lead to her being very closed off when it comes to being around people. it’s going to lead to her being selectively mute and weary of others. it’s going to make it hard to maintain eye contact because she’s not overly trusting.

eleven has also spent her life hidden away from the common things that a child knows, learns and grows up with. she has minimal experiences with all forms of technology or toys or even food because i highly doubt she was fed five course meals while she was in the lab. eleven eats eggos all the time because that is what mike gave her - that is what she is used to eating. she knows she likes eggos, they are familiar to her and therefore - she’s going to eat them. it would be vaguely similar to going to a restaurant and knowing you already have a favourite item at the place that you know tastes good and are comfortable with - perhaps you would order the familiar item over something different.

 if we bring up how the fact that eleven didn’t have a maternal figure or much nurturing as a child. if we look at the experiment conducted by harry harlow in 1959 - it brought in the nature vs nurture debate. it taught us the importance of nurture and love on young children and how important that bond is into the development of a child’s mental state and how they would function in society. this impacts the way in which these children learn basic social skills and appropriate behaviors. we can see this displayed quite often in the events of both seasons in the manner in which she often carries herself. be it attempting to change clothes in front of the boys in the first season, an inability to process emotions in a healthy manner, gaps in knowledge.

if you wanted to take it a step further, you could compare it to children who were left in total isolation with no contact whatsoever and just how difficult it is to integrate into society after being completely isolated. while she was surrounded by some people, she was still kept in some isolation. even during the days in the cabin during season two. there’s no doubt that she could move within society on her own - that’s evident in her search for her birth mother and even in episode 7′s The Lost Sister. she’s able to make her way through the world with minor difficulty even if she doesn’t communicate in ways that would fit our social norm.

this doesn’t mean that she’s not intelligent. she’s highly skilled in survival tactics, etc. she’s developed her own way of articulating with words that are comforting to her. dead = gone and missing = hiding. these words aren’t harsh but they convey the same meaning to her that the others would. i feel like you can feel the absence of someone when they are gone / leave and that can often be something that is quite heavy. such is the weight of losing someone that passes. they’re “gone.”   i think feelings are things that she feels very heavily, so much so that she even tries to hide them. i remember back in season one when mike opened the closet door and asked her if she was okay. there was a lot of comfort there in knowing that he was there, that she was safe and she wasn’t actually back in the place she fought so hard to escape from. but also that these are fears and feelings that she doesn’t want anyone to know.

i keep thinking back to that scene in the season one where they’re in the school gym. she’s focusing so heavily on having to find will and barb. feeling just how serious the situation is, everyone is practically projecting their emotions on her, their fears and stresses. she’s the key to fixing and solving this entire thing - there is no time for her to try and feel things. no time for her to express these things. they’re bottled up, they are hidden. this is how she channels so much anger, so much strength when she’s closing those gates. it’s an outlet that allows her to free up what she’s fought so hard to hide. the one turning point that i think meant a good portion to her was that moment with joyce, comforting her in that pool in the school. telling her that it’s okay for her to feel things, that she was brave - that she’s right there.

that was a BIG thing, the idea that she’s allowed to even FEEL things and to have support? such a foreign concept but now something that she’s coming to notice and realize. that’s why she finds so much comfort in mike, losing him and being away from him for so long is horrible. a feeling of helplessness when she can’t be there to support him. he was there for her in moments of vulnerability, moments of fear and strength. he helped her find strength and comfort in herself - reassuring her that she wasn’t the monster that she thought herself to be. i feel because of the adoration and support that he’s shown her, she’s been able to come out of her shell a bit more.

even so with hopper in season two. here is an adult, taking on the role of father for a child that isn’t his own. one that he didn’t have to look out for - one that he could have simply left behind. he’s teaching her new vocabulary terms, trying to help her learn how to navigate the world and to be aware of the things that may be there to harm here. despite the difficulties that there may be, the conflict between them. he’s shown her that he cares - that he’s there for her. she’s opened up to him more over their time together, trusting him more and more. speaking more and more. he’s almost a role model despite mistakes he may make. he’s a good reminder that it’s only human to make mistakes and learn from them.