The Unfolding of Psychological Trauma in Human Ontogeny - Pathways through life
Author
Vestbjerg, Caroline Skov
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-30
Pages
664
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan traumer udfolder sig gennem hele livet. Ud over diagnoser som posttraumatisk belastningsreaktion (PTSD) og kompleks PTSD inddrages nyere begreber om udviklings- og tilknytningstraumer, der tydeliggør betydningen af barndomsomsorgssvigt og vold i hjemmet, både fysisk og psykisk. For at følge disse processer i dybden anvendes en idiografisk tilgang—en intensiv analyse af et enkelt liv—for at spore, hvordan oplevelser bæres videre og omfortolkes over tid. Casen er biografien om Lisbeth Zornig. Læsningen af hendes livsfortælling som et langstrakt udviklingsforløb giver indblik i, hvordan personlighed og adfærd formes i konkrete sociale kontekster, og hvordan bestemte hændelser revurderes på forskellige tidspunkter i livet. Analysen forbinder kliniske forståelser af traume med kulturelt-psykologiske perspektiver på, hvordan selvet dannes i relation til andre. George Herbert Meads skelnen mellem “I” og “Me” bruges til at beskrive samspillet mellem spontan handling og internaliserede sociale forventninger. Jaan Valsiners teori om semiotiske dynamikker belyser, hvordan mennesker skaber mening gennem tegn og forhandler deres erfaringer. Tania Zittouns arbejder fremhæver fantasi, brud og overgange som drivkræfter for udvikling og forandring. På tværs af casen undersøges både ydre vilkår og indre processer for at forstå, hvordan traumer kan begrænse eller muliggøre senere livsbaner, herunder muligheder for positiv tilpasning. Specialet drøfter “social arv”—overførsel af ulighed mellem generationer—og de betingelser, der kan støtte det at blive “mønsterbryder”. Det belyser copingstrategier, måder at tilpasse sig og samtidig bevare et sammenhængende selv, samt den afgørende betydning af social støtte og vigtige andre. Begreberne resiliens og posttraumatisk vækst bruges til at diskutere, hvordan nogle mennesker kan bevæge sig ud af traumecyklussen og fortsætte deres udvikling. Samlet viser undersøgelsen, hvordan traumatiske og almene erfaringer væves sammen gennem livet og former livsforløbet.
This thesis examines how trauma unfolds across the life course. Beyond diagnoses such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD, it includes newer ideas about developmental and attachment trauma that highlight the impact of childhood neglect and domestic violence, both physical and psychological. To follow these processes in depth, the study uses an idiographic approach—an intensive analysis of a single life—to trace how experiences are carried forward and reinterpreted over time. The case is the biography of Lisbeth Zornig. Reading her life story as a long-term developmental process provides insight into how personality and behavior take shape in specific social contexts and how particular events are re-evaluated at different stages of life. The analysis combines clinical understandings of trauma with cultural-psychological perspectives on how the self is formed in relation to others. George Herbert Mead’s distinction between “I” and “Me” is used to describe the interplay between spontaneous action and internalized social expectations. Jaan Valsiner’s theory of semiotic dynamics helps explain how people make meaning through signs and negotiate their experiences. Tania Zittoun’s work foregrounds imagination, ruptures, and transitions as drivers of development and change. Across the case, both external conditions and inner processes are examined to understand how trauma can constrain or enable later pathways, including possibilities for positive adaptation. The thesis discusses “social heritage”—the transmission of disadvantage across generations—and the conditions that support becoming a “pattern breaker.” It explores coping strategies, ways of adapting while maintaining a sense of self, and the vital role of social support and significant others. Concepts of resilience and posttraumatic growth are used to discuss how some individuals move beyond cycles of trauma and continue to develop. Overall, the study shows how traumatic and ordinary experiences become interwoven across the lifespan, shaping the course of a life.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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