"The pike repeatedly tried to attack and make a meal out of them, but failed each time because of the barrier, leaving it with nothing more than a bruised nose. But when the bell jar was removed, the pike still did not attack them. Conditioned by its earlier failed attempts, it seemed to behave as though the barrier remained."
"Despite leaving the refugee camp in Kenya and later walking the runways of New York and Paris, she has repeatedly said, 'I will always be a refugee.' The physical conditions of her life in the refugee camp were left behind when she was resettled in Australia, but the cognitive aspects of that past did not disappear."
Past hardships can shape present behavior long after the original barriers have been removed. Trauma and displacement may persist inwardly, leading individuals to perceive old constraints as permanent. Greater awareness of cognitive immobility can be a crucial first step toward recovery. The story of Adut Akech illustrates this phenomenon, as she identifies as a refugee despite her success, showing how past experiences can continue to affect one's identity and behavior.
Read at Psychology Today
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