--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was in an adolescent psychology class…" description: "\"I was in an adolescent psychology class at Citadel when the guy said, if you had a mother who was beaten, there's a great chance you'll beat your wife...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg" --- # I was in an adolescent psychology class at Citadel when… ![“I was in an adolescent psychology class at Citadel when the guy said, if you had a mother who was beaten, there's a great chance you'll beat your wife. And if you were beaten as a child, there's a terrific chance you're going to be a child-beater.” quote by Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg) > “I was in an adolescent psychology class at Citadel when the guy said, if you had a mother who was beaten, there's a great chance you'll beat your wife. And if you were beaten as a child, there's a terrific chance you're going to be a child-beater.” [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Experiencing abuse in childhood raises the statistical likelihood of perpetuating that abuse later. **In simple terms:** Abuse can repeat across generations. Key Takeaway Break the cycle of abuse. Themes psychology trauma intergenerational patterns Mood empathetic serious Type therapeutic educational When to use this quote - counseling sessions - family therapy - educational programs - support groups - policy making Key Concepts Cycle of violence risk factors Questions to Reflect On - What interventions best prevent abuse cycles? - How can society support survivors? A Different Perspective Statistical tendencies are not destiny; many break the pattern. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a moment in the history of every beaten child when his mind parts with hopes of dignity — pushes off hope like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/there-is-a-moment-in-the-history-of-every-beaten-child-when-his-mind/) [Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/) > [A child that is given birth without crying even when beaten is a child that is not given birth to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-freeman/a-child-that-is-given-birth-without-crying-even-when-beaten-is-a/) [Franklin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-freeman/) > [“Over the years our mother has beaten us with belts, shoes, rulers, extension cords, hair brushes, a wooden spoon, a fly swatter, a toilet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/over-the-years-our-mother-has-beaten-us-with-belts-shoes-rulers/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [To see your mother beaten by your father is something you never forget. It's horrific. When my dad was like that, I hated him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-nolan/to-see-your-mother-beaten-by-your-father-is-something-you-never/) [Coleen Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-nolan/) > [Domestic violence was a way of life in my home growing up, my brother and I watched helplessly numerous times as my mother was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-vincent/domestic-violence-was-a-way-of-life-in-my-home-growing-up-my-brother/) [Troy Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-vincent/) > [“Drab?" Soldier yelled. "I'll give you drab. Beat her, would you? Beat my wife? I'll feed your head to the vultures, you snotty little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hunter/drab-soldier-yelled-i-ll-give-you-drab-beat-her-would-you-beat-my/) [Kim Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hunter/) > [“No, you cannot beat your wife. No, you cannot hit your sister. No you cannot use abusive language to any woman (or man for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heena-rathore-p/no-you-cannot-beat-your-wife-no-you-cannot-hit-your-sister-no-you/) Heena Rathore P > [“These women accept their beatings with a simplicity worthy of all praise, and far from considering themselves insulted, admire the strength and energy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/these-women-accept-their-beatings-with-a-simplicity-worthy-of-all/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [“Do something a bit shit, like getting in a fight outside the TAB or getting a DUI, and people around here will bag the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-maguire/do-something-a-bit-shit-like-getting-in-a-fight-outside-the-tab-or/) [Emily Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-maguire/) > [“the rule of thumb’ referred historically to the maximum width of the stick with which a man could beat his wife without breaking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghuram-g-rajan/the-rule-of-thumb-referred-historically-to-the-maximum-width-of-the/) [Raghuram G. Rajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghuram-g-rajan/) > [Beat your wife on the wedding day, and your married life will be happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/japanese-proverb/beat-your-wife-on-the-wedding-day-and-your-married-life-will-be-happy/) Japanese Proverb > [Ain't it a shame to beat your wife on Sunday. When you got Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Oh, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lead-belly/ain-t-it-a-shame-to-beat-your-wife-on-sunday-when-you-got-monday/) [Lead Belly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lead-belly/) > [“rule of thumb.’” His eyes found Erwin’s and they were gleaming. “You familiar with that one, doc?” Erwin hesitated before nodding slowly. “I’ve heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-prescott/rule-of-thumb-his-eyes-found-erwin-s-and-they-were-gleaming-you/) James D. Prescott > [It's the kind of game that makes you go home and beat your wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/it-s-the-kind-of-game-that-makes-you-go-home-and-beat-your-wife/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) > [My girlfriend jokes can beat up your wife jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/my-girlfriend-jokes-can-beat-up-your-wife-jokes/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) ## More by Terry Gross > [The excitement for me lies not so much in interviewing the hard-to-get famous person, but the person whom you are about to discover. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/the-excitement-for-me-lies-not-so-much-in-interviewing-the-hard-to/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [Work can take on a new dimension if you know something about the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/work-can-take-on-a-new-dimension-if-you-know-something-about-the/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [Google started as a free search engine. It's still free, but now it's making a lot of money on ads, right? A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/google-started-as-a-free-search-engine-it-s-still-free-but-now-it-s/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [When I hear a politician speak biographically, I never know what's part of the campaign biography narrative that's been carefully crafted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/when-i-hear-a-politician-speak-biographically-i-never-know-what-s/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [When you're reading a newspaper and you're seeing ads on the page, it's not kind of invasive. Like, it's on the page next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/when-you-re-reading-a-newspaper-and-you-re-seeing-ads-on-the-page-it/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [I'm first generation American, and my parents were both from Nigeria. And so I always say that I'm literally an African American. So my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-m-first-generation-american-and-my-parents-were-both-from-nigeria/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [Dad mistook - for some reason unbeknownst to me - he mistook his family for a platoon of Marines. I mean, he - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/dad-mistook-for-some-reason-unbeknownst-to-me-he-mistook-his-family/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [I respect someone's right to privacy and I want them to know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-respect-someone-s-right-to-privacy-and-i-want-them-to-know-it/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [I was thinking about comedy and how comedy in many ways opens us up to ideas and really being influenced by Richard Pryor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-was-thinking-about-comedy-and-how-comedy-in-many-ways-opens-us-up/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [My parents were pretty open about a lot of things, especially my mom. And any kind of little crazy thing I was into, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/my-parents-were-pretty-open-about-a-lot-of-things-especially-my-mom/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [You know, how am I leading my own life? What am I denying? Since I brought such great powers of denial into my adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/you-know-how-am-i-leading-my-own-life-what-am-i-denying-since-i/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [So when the book came out, my mother stunned us all by leaving my father. I think three months before the book came out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/so-when-the-book-came-out-my-mother-stunned-us-all-by-leaving-my/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [Sometimes when I'm on the internet, I'll get this, like, which of these ad experiences would you prefer? And I'll have a choice of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/sometimes-when-i-m-on-the-internet-i-ll-get-this-like-which-of-these/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [I mean, Dad's - you know, Dad's friendliest tone was a scream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-mean-dad-s-you-know-dad-s-friendliest-tone-was-a-scream/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [That era in the late '80s through the '90s was really when the music was so new, fresh, energetic, but still creative. It hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/that-era-in-the-late-80s-through-the-90s-was-really-when-the-music/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) [Explore all 71 Terry Gross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) ## More Beaten quotes > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/class-clowns-are-never-allowed-to-date-anybody-decent-but-you-don-t/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/i-know-from-my-own-clinical-work-that-when-people-are-beaten-and-hurt/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. I urge everyone to learn the facts about this condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/like-with-every-form-of-cancer-early-detection-is-what-it-is-all/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/) [Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/) > [A man who is determined never to move out of the beaten road cannot lose his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-man-who-is-determined-never-to-move-out-of-the-beaten-road-cannot/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I admit that I've been beaten up so many times in films, but we do not fake it - we actually have to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-sik-choi/i-admit-that-i-ve-been-beaten-up-so-many-times-in-films-but-we-do-not/) [Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/) > [I do not approve of children being beaten. It is always a confession of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wentworth/i-do-not-approve-of-children-being-beaten-it-is-always-a-confession/) [Patricia Wentworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wentworth/) > [If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any practical result whatsoever, you've beaten them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-can-feel-that-staying-human-is-worth-while-even-when-it-can-t/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) Browse all 665 Beaten quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was in an adolescent psychology class at Citadel when the guy said, if you had a mother who was beaten, there's a great chance you'll beat your wife. And if you were beaten as a child, there's a terrific chance you're going to be a child-beater.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Gross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class-at-citadel-when-the-guy-said/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beaten" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class-at-citadel-when-the-guy-said/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/terry-gross-9637_beaten_i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class_629219.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was in an adolescent psychology class at Citadel when the guy said, if you had a mother who was beaten…” — Terry Gross", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Terry Gross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was in an adolescent psychology...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class-at-citadel-when-the-guy-said/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-was-in-an-adolescent-psychology-class-at-citadel-when-the-guy-said/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```