Social Trauma – An Interdisciplinary Textbook

381 Pages·2021·6.249 MB·English

by  Andreas Hamburger, Camellia Hancheva, Vamık D. Volkan

Andreas Hamburger
Camellia Hancheva
Vamık D. Volkan   Editors
Social
Trauma – An
Interdisciplinary
Textbook
Social Trauma - An Interdisciplinary Textbook
Andreas Hamburger
Camellia Hancheva • Vamık D. Volkan
Editors
Social Trauma – An
Interdisciplinary Textbook
Editors
Andreas Hamburger Camellia Hancheva
International Psychoanalytic University Department of Psychology
Berlin Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
Berlin, Germany Sofia, Bulgaria
Vamık D. Volkan
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA, USA
ISBN 978-3-030-47816-2 ISBN 978-3-030-47817-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47817-9
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Introduction
Despite all progress in civilization and technology, collective violence has re-
emerged over and again throughout history, afflicting large social groups and leav-
ing traumatic scars not only in the individual survivors’ mental life but also in the
collective memories of the involved groups. Social trauma influences group iden-
tity; it shapes individual and collective coping processes as well as transgenera-
tional transmission. The sequelae of violence targeted against whole groups may
embrace psychopathological symptoms in both victims and perpetrators that differ
substantially from general traumatic symptoms, but specifically these sociotrau-
matic experiences afflict also whole social environments. Thus, social traumatiza-
tions must be understood and treated in a wider conceptual frame, connecting
clinical psychology and psychiatry to all societal aspects. As social trauma is rooted
in collective violence, it depends on social mechanisms if and how it leads to long-
term clinical symptoms or unconscious transgenerational traces. It may affect whole
societies through loss of social and political confidence.
The background of the textbook at hand is a series of teaching and research net-
work, funded by German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, gathering together
scholars and students from over 20 nationalities at 7+ universities on the Balkans
and Germany. Students shared their research projects and took part in elective (mas-
ter, postgraduate) Course Social Trauma. For the last 5 years, over 800 students
enrolled in the course and many of them are still in the field of social trauma research
and/or practice.
The book chapters will explore the intersection of clinical and social aspects of
traumatic experiences in postdictatorial and post-war societies, forced migration,
and similar circumstances from a variety of perspectives, including conceptual
approaches, treatment methods, and research strategies. The book provides neces-
sary knowledge for treatment, which beyond good clinical practice requires inter-
disciplinary efforts to understand social denial, retraumatization, and
transgenerational transmission. Accrued from a 7-year interdisciplinary and inter-
national dialogue, the book presents multiple scholarly and practical views from
clinical psychology and psychiatry to social and cultural theory, developmental psy-
chology, memory studies, law, research methodology, ethics, and education. It gives
v
vi Introduction
a basis for university teaching as well as an overview for all who are involved in the
modern issues of victims of social violence.
The book is organized in nine sections:
Part I: Theory of Social Trauma
The opening section of the book brings together chapters that fundamentally outline
the concept of social trauma and mark out its interdisciplinary dimension. As
Andreas Hamburger explains in his introductory chapter, these are above all Vamık
Volkan’s concept of “chosen trauma,” Jan and Aleida Assman’s concept of cultural
trauma, the approach to collective trauma advocated by Alexander, Eyermann,
Sztompka, and others, and the concept of historical trauma, prominently repre-
sented by Jörn Rüsen. In the following chapters, all these approaches are presented
by the original authors.
Part II: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
of Social Trauma
In comparison to other, more sociologically and historically oriented important text-
book in the field, the present volume focusses on connecting the social aspect to the
clinical reality of social trauma. As Andreas Hamburger describes in his opening
chapter, this does not mean in any way that all individuals affected by or being part
of a socially traumatic experience will develop clinical symptoms. But, on the other
hand, in psychotherapeutic and practice, we see many patients whose suffering can-
not be addressed without taking into account that they are social trauma survivors—
even more, in the history of and psychotherapy, they have often been denied
recognition as survivors of social trauma. This, however, is a necessary condition to
meet their requirements and to provide them with an adequate therapy. The contri-
butions in this section focus on the interdependency of the personal therapeutic
relation and the acknowledgment of social conditions. Therapeutic approaches,
however, are not only working on the individual level—there is also a social healing
dimension that neighbors and expands the traditional clinical approach. In the chap-
ters by M. Gerard Fromm, Gamze Ozcuremez, Diana Ridjic, Thomas Maurer and
Willi Butollo, Luise Reddemann and Ljiljana Joksimović, Susanne Metzner, Beatrix
Weidinger von der Recke and Konrad Schnabel, a wide range of clinical approaches
is discussed, connecting clinical practice and theory with the long-lasting shadows
of the past.
Introduction vii
Part III: Developmental Psychology of Social Trauma
Developmental issues in social trauma research and practice start with recognition
of multiple potential traumatic factors and influences in child development and
their long-term consequences in psychological well-being and social functioning
of generations of people. Both Streeck-Fischer and Hadžić emphasize the unique-
ness of individual experience of social events depending on age-related abilities
to integrate emotional experience, and availability of support and help.
Environmental conditions influence how the traumatic stress is processed or
turned into chronic dysfunction. Recognizing the impact of trauma on personality,
cognitive, and emotional functioning of individuals and destruction of sense of
social togetherness, Streeck- Fischer warns against the psychiatrization or medi-
calization of mental disorders, which are more or less socially caused, and points
out the importance of moving forward the social trauma perspective. The rela-
tional nature of both traumatic and protective factors in development is a shared
perspective of all the authors. Holl and Taubner point out the importance of
attachment and mentalization in the context of transgenerational transmission of
social trauma. They argue that an effective framework for intervention programs
to reduce the psychopathological and intergenerational risk of trauma should be
based on understanding of mentalization as a protective factor for children at risk.
Hancheva describes the impact of social trauma on individual development
through the vicissitudes in meaning-making processes, the sense of agency, iden-
tity development, and the sense of epistemic trust, which hinder social dialogue
and thus the adaptation to ever-changing social and cultural context.
Part IV: Memory Studies
For more than half a century memory research is intricately related to both human
sufferings and social processes. Constructions of individual and social life history
are a mixture of subjective interpretations of objective facts and events. In their
chapter: Neurobiology of Memory in Trauma Survivors, Koso-Drljević and
Husremović present results of studies on war veterans, drawing a complicated pic-
ture of symptoms, memory and other cognitive dysfunctions and impaired social
and personality functioning. Implications of untreated PTSD among traumatized
individuals on the creation of collective mainstream beliefs and narratives are dis-
cussed. A complicated process of development of autobiographical narrating in
regard of traumatic events and/or collective violence is strongly dependent on nar-
rative input of reliable others and social groups to whom person belongs. Habermas
and Bartoli point out an optimistic developmental line in the increasing ability of
adolescents to contextualize their experience in an autobiographical and social–his-
torical context that makes possible distancing from collective traumatic experiences
and at the same time including historical events in their collective identity. The
viii Introduction
mediating and supporting role of the parents in narrative construction is unquestion-
able but the existing of subtle, mostly unconscious, processes in transgenerational
transmission of trauma is also recognized. Grand and Salberg draw attention to the
psychoanalytic perspective on massive trauma, incorporates ethics, history, politics,
social justice, and broader acknowledgment of a familial unconscious. In the course
of ethical considerations, Hancheva reminds of the need to maintain a difficult bal-
ance between relief of suffering and truth recovery when doing research, making
therapy or forming an expert position in regard of recovered memories of individual
or social trauma.
Part V: Social Psychology of Trauma
Langer and Brehm provide a socio-psychological perspective on social trauma and
collective violence. A twofold explanation is developed around group behaviors, in
particular social situations, on one side, and historically and socio-culturally
anchored prejudices and attitudes, on the other. The authors argue that social trauma
in post-conflict societies traced at individual, institutional, and social levels requires
both effective practical measures and convincing theoretical developments, taking
into account both the perspective of the perpetrator and the victim’s narrative. In the
same venue, Porobić offers a possible framework for transgenerational recovery, for
conflict resolution and reconciliation from war-related social traumas via peace
education, enabling educators and students to reflect and self-reflect, to take differ-
ent perspectives, and to become capable of through experiential learning. An inter-
esting example of psychosocial support model in low-resource settings is provided
by Eltayeb. She describes the Ahfad Trauma Centre and its work based on mobiliza-
tion of the existing cultural norms of trust, social support, reciprocity, and by abid-
ing by strict ethical guidelines. Difficulties in enhancing cultural adaption that
encompasses Afro-Arab cultures in addition to gender and political issues are viv-
idly described.
At the organizational level of social functioning, existing of coercive organiza-
tional practices is discussed as representative for social trauma and diverse psycho-
logical consequences. Hedrih and Husremović make an overview of the most
significant existing practices in organization and trace their roots to the collective
trauma, prejudices, and stereotypes, preventing recognition of diversity.
The final chapter in this part brings the issue of secondary traumatization that
adds another layer to complicated social dynamics of victim-perpetrator groups.
Živanović and Vukčević-Marković reveal how social trauma echoes in the helpers
being in the position of witnessing indirectly the aftermaths of collusions and trau-
matic experiences.
Introduction ix
Part VI: Legal and Ethical Aspects
Ozcurumez introduces another perspective and language of presenting the social
trauma challenge at the level of policy makers, arguing that in the coming years,
“trauma sensitive care” and “trauma sensitive policies” shall characterize the dis-
cussions on legal and ethical aspects of social trauma globally, nationally, and
locally. The multitude of policy actors constituting of policy makers, decision mak-
ers, and implementors set the stage of a complicated design of measures to be
adopted and implemented. In the next chapter, on Sexual and Gender-Based
Violence (SGVB), the author provides a socio-ecological framework for explana-
tion of SGBV in armed conflict and displacement, and links it to social trauma by
bringing together structural, individual, family, and community-related processes.
As a counterpoint to the sharp-cut policy regulations, an intriguing psychoanalytic
approach of Arsenijević brings closer social trauma and environmental violence.
The eloquent example of slow environmental violence phenomenon confronts us
with another dimensions of suffering, social trauma consequences and subtle, hard
to recognize, physical and emotional killing. Another example of consequences of
genocide, violence, and complex traumatization is presented by Hirschelmann and
Rahman Rasho. They formulate the challenge of devising a framework for elabora-
tion and intervention that incorporates the characteristics of the socio-legal condi-
tion and psycho-criminology with the dimensions of the psychological work with
the victims.
The difficult field of moral judgment and moral action in regard to social trauma
is far from consistent theory, but for the research purposes, Petrović provides practi-
cal guidelines and recommendations for prevention of unethical behavior based on
ethical standards in trauma research.
Part VII: Specific Methodology and Practice in Social Trauma
Research
Social trauma is the subject of multifold and increasing research activities. Students
should be aware of the precise conditions and possible pitfalls of such research.
Thus, the research section of the textbook presents different approaches of quantita-
tive and qualitative trauma research in the specific field of social trauma. In his
introductory chapter, Vladimir Hedrih is using vivid examples and straightforward
questions to provoke a critical thinking stance in both interpreters of research results
and researchers planning and designing studies on social trauma. The author warns
against research causing or justifying social traumatic events by either sided specu-
lations and political agendas or unconscious biases. As a mean for minimizing bias
effects, Protić emphasizes the existing standards of good practice in conducting
quantitative research and pays special attention to respecting ethical requirements in
planning, conducting, and analyzing research in the social trauma field. Another
x Introduction
methodological chapter discusses qualitative methods and Stanković proves their
potential, especially when dealing with complex and interdisciplinary sociotrau-
matic phenomena. The importance of giving voice to personal and collective trauma
narratives and articulating representations of traumatic experiences is acknowl-
edged. Acknowledgment is a vital part of social trauma recovery and healing pro-
cess. A powerful example of clash between historical and psychoanalytic reasoning
in regard of historical versus reality can be found in Hamburger’s chapter on video
testimonies of survivors of a traumatic historical event. One of the most difficult
lessons, to bear witness and to tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity also in profes-
sional position of a researcher or therapist, could be learned through this text.
Part VIII: Social Trauma and Education
Education as one of the main pillars of society represents a complex space of
encounter where pupils gain knowledge and skills for future work, but also and even
more important, internalize the values and cultural norms important for the society.
In the introductory chapter, Husremović and Koso-Drljević discuss through exam-
ples of postwar and post-totalitarian states, how nations or interest groups create
education outcomes with the goal to install and further sustain collective identities
and collective memories to protect large groups, their stereotypes, and internal
interests. A vivid example of Serbian experience in education of migrants and vul-
nerable groups, presented by Kovač-Cerović, supports an interdisciplinary approach
and its clear benefits when tackling the social trauma issues. The concluding chapter
by Scher and Malmheden is on social trauma education at the university level. It
puts into perspective and contextual comparison decades of experience trauma
research and education in academic field and the specificity of the international
social trauma study course, which provided the breeding ground for the present
textbook.
Andreas Hamburger
Camellia Hancheva
Vamık D. Volkan