Why do some children succeed despite the odds?

Question

talking about child abuse

Answer 1

Sometimes the more serious the abuse, the easier it is for the child to know that it is not his/her fault but it's just that his parent has a problem.    

It is the intangible abuse (the manipulation) that really damage a child.  The child is so confused, so guilty, that she can't cut the umbilical cord and cut her wrist instead.