Final answer:
A victim of assault may display immediate emotions such as surprise, fear, anger, and sadness, as well as longer-term effects including substance abuse, eating disorders, and an increased risk of self killing. Emotional harm can be shown through body language, and responses are influenced by societal reactions and the potential for the Bystander Effect. IPV often leads to continuous victimization throughout one's life, starting as early as college.
Step-by-step explanation:
Victims of assault may exhibit a range of human emotions in response to their experience. Some immediate emotions include surprise, fear, anger, and sadness. The aftermath of an assault can also lead to longer-term emotional and behavioral changes, such as increased substance abuse, eating disorders, and self killing attempts, as seen with victims of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Additionally, emotional responses can be manifested through body language, and the victim's reactions might be compounded by societal attitudes toward the crime, including disbelief or dismissiveness. Emotional harm from such experiences is multifaceted, including but not limited to psychological and physical dimensions.
Moreover, the Bystander Effect may come into play, potentially affecting how witnesses respond—or fail to respond—to victims of assault. This phenomenon underlines the social context in which people decide whether to help a victim, influenced by various social and psychological factors. The victims themselves can also be reluctant to report abuse for a variety of reasons, including fear of retaliation or the belief that the abuse is a personal matter. The long-term consequences of assaults, particularly IPV, indicate that such experiences during formative years, like college, may lead to continuous victimization into adulthood.