Introduction
editIn psychology, post-traumatic growth (PTG) is positive psychological change experienced as a result of struggling with highly challenging, highly stressful life circumstances.[1] These circumstances represent significant challenges to the adaptive resources of the individual, and pose significant challenges to the individual's way of understanding the world and their place in it.[1] Post-traumatic growth involves "life-changing" psychological shifts in thinking and relating to the world and the self, that contribute to a personal process of change, that is deeply meaningful.[1]
Characteristics of Post-Traumatic Growth
editPeople who have experienced post-traumatic growth report changes in the following 5 factors: Appreciation of life; Relating to others; Personal strength; New possibilities; and Spiritual, existential or philosophical change.
How Does Post-Traumatic Growth Happen?
editThe Relationship Between Trauma and PTG
editPsychological trauma is an emotional response caused by severe distressing events that are outside the normal range of human experiences[SN1] [SN2] . While the idea that positive change may occur following trauma may seem paradoxical, it common and well documented. However, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will directly develop post-traumatic growth. This is because growth does not occur as a direct result of trauma; rather, it is the individual's struggle with the new reality in the aftermath of trauma that is crucial in determining the extent to which post-traumatic growth occurs.[1][9][7] Variables about the stressor, characteristics of the victim and how they respond to the event, and larger contexts may contribute to to the likelihood that post-traumatic growth will occur (see below).
Experiencing trauma is typically associated with distress and loss, and PTG does not change this. PTG and negative trauma related outcomes (e.g. PTSD) are not mutually exclusive and research has not concluded that experiencing PTG reduces the odds of developing a Post-Traumatic Stress Response. However, PTG often leads individuals to live in ways that are fulfilling and meaningful [1]
Encouragingly, reports of growth experiences in the aftermath of traumatic events far outnumber reports of psychiatric disorders, especially since continuing personal distress and growth often coexist.[1]
A Model of PTG
edit
Calhoun and Tedeschi (2006) outline their updated model of posttraumatic growth in Handbook of Post-traumatic Growth: Research and Practice. Most importantly, this model includes: [1]
- Characteristics of the Person and of the Challenging Circumstances[1]
- Management of Emotional Distress[1]
- Rumination [1]
- Self-Disclosure[1]
- Sociocultural Influences[1]
- Narrative Development[1]
- Life Wisdom[1]
Promotive Factors
editAs far as predictors of posttraumatic growth, a number of factors have been associated with adaptive growth following exposure to a trauma.
Stressor Related Factors
edit- Severity: For PTG to come about, the severity of the traumatic experience must be enough to threaten one's preexisting understanding the world or their personal narrative. However, extremely severe trauma exposure may overwhelm one's ability to comprehend and grow from the experience. [1]
- Experiencing Multiple Sources of Trauma[2]
Response Related Factors
edit- Sharing Negative Emotions[2]
- Rumination: In this context, rumination is not necessarily negative and can mean the same thing as cognitive engagement. When this occurs, the individual is investing mental resources into understanding and making sense of their experience. People typically participate in this way to comprehend and explain their experience (Why? How?) and to discover how their experience factors into their perceptions and plans (What does this mean? What now?). While neither is entirely bad, deliberate rather than intrusive rumination can be the most effective at producing growth. [1] [2] (Tedeschi and Calhoun 2014)
- Positive Coping Strategies: [2]Spirituality has been shown to highly correlate with posttraumatic growth (O'Rourke 2008).
- Event Centrality: Event centrality is the sense that an event has become a key part of one's human experience and who they are. [2]
- Resilience[2]
- Growth Actions[2]
Person Related Factors
edit- Personality Traits: Openness, agreeableness, altruistic behaviors, extraversion, conscientiousness, sense of coherence (SOC), sense of purpose, hopefulness, and low neuroticism are associated with PTG. Despite being otherwise undesirable, narcissism is also associated with PTG. These traits may increase an individual's capacity to adapt to traumas, leading to growth. [2]
- Age: Posttraumatic growth has been studied in children to a lesser extent. A review by Meyerson and colleagues found various relations between social and psychological factors and posttraumatic growth in children and adolescents, but concluded that fundamental questions about its value and function remain.[3]
Mediators
edit- Social Support
History
editThe general understanding that suffering and distress can potentially yield positive change is thousands of years old.[4] For example, some of the early ideas and writing of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and early Christians, as well as some of the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam[5] and the Baháʼí Faith[6] contain elements of the potentially transformative power of suffering. Attempts to understand and discover the meaning of human suffering represent a central theme of much philosophical inquiry and appear in the works of novelists, dramatists and poets.[5]
Traditional psychology's equivalent to thriving is resilience, which is reaching the previous level of functioning before a trauma, stressor, or challenge. The difference between resilience and thriving is the recovery point – thriving goes above and beyond resilience, and involves finding benefits within challenges.[7]
The term "posttraumatic growth" was coined by psychologists at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.[8] According to Tedeschi, as many as 89% of survivors report at least one aspect of posttraumatic growth, such as a renewed appreciation for life.[9]
Variants of the idea have included Crystal Park's proposed stress related growth model, which highlighted the derived sense of meaning in the context of adjusting to challenging and stressful situations,[10] and Joseph and Linley's proposed adversarial growth model, which linked growth with psychological wellbeing.[11] According to the adversarial growth model, whenever an individual is experiencing a challenging situation, they can either integrate the traumatic experience into their current belief system and worldviews or they can modify their beliefs based on their current experiences.[12] If the individual positively accommodates the trauma-related information and assimilates prior beliefs, psychological growth can occur following adversity.[12]
Interdisciplinary Connections
editPersonality Psychology
editPositive Psychology
edit[SN1]Cite the Psychological Trauma wiki page
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Calhoun, Lawrence; Tedeschi, Richard (2014). Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth: Research and Practice (1st ed.). ISBN 9781315805597.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Henson, Charlotte; Truchot, Didier; Canevello, Amy (2021-11). "What promotes post traumatic growth? A systematic review". European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. 5 (4): 100195. doi:10.1016/j.ejtd.2020.100195. ISSN 2468-7499.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Meyerson DA, Grant KE, Carter JS, Kilmer RP (August 2011). "Posttraumatic growth among children and adolescents: a systematic review". Clinical Psychology Review. 31 (6): 949–964. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.06.003. PMID 21718663.
- ^ Tedeshi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (2004). Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundation and Empirical Evidence. Philadelphia, PA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- ^ a b Tedeschi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (1995). Trauma and Transformation: Growing in the Aftermath of Suffering. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- ^ Abdu'l-Bahá on Suffering and Tests, Baháʼí International Community, accessed Jul 14 2013.
- ^ Carver C (2010). "Resilience and Thriving: Issues, Models, and Linkages". Journal of Social Issues. 54 (2): 245–266. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1998.tb01217.x.
- ^ Michaela Haas, "Bouncing Forward: Transforming Bad Breaks into Breakthroughs," Atria/Enliven, 2015
- ^ Michaela Haas. "What is Posttraumatic Growth?".
- ^ Park CL (March 2010). "Making sense of the meaning literature: an integrative review of meaning making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events". Psychological Bulletin. 136 (2): 257–301. doi:10.1037/a0018301. PMID 20192563. S2CID 23947153.
- ^ Linley PA, Joseph S (February 2004). "Positive change following trauma and adversity: a review". Journal of Traumatic Stress. 17 (1): 11–21. doi:10.1023/b:jots.0000014671.27856.7e. PMID 15027788. S2CID 19585205.
- ^ a b Joseph S, Linley PA (2005). "Positive Adjustment to Threatening Events: An Organismic Valuing Theory of Growth Through Adversity". Review of General Psychology. 9 (3): 262–280. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.262. S2CID 145267293.