Trauma and identity: A reciprocal relationship?

Steven L. Berman, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Kaylin Ratner

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialpeer-review

Abstract

Trauma can alter the course of identity development and destabilize existing identity commitments. Trauma, whether past or current, can also impact the resources a person brings to identity work. However, identity can also be a lens through which trauma is perceived and interpreted, helping to determine whether a traumatic experience results in posttraumatic stress disorder or posttraumatic growth. Despite the apparent implications each construct has for the other, the scholarship at the intersection of trauma and identity remains sparse. This Special Issue explores how and when trauma and identity influence one another by considering their association across various adolescent populations, methodologies, traumatic event types, and facets of identity. In doing so, this Special Issue lays the groundwork necessary for exploring, proposing, and testing more complex and nuanced reciprocal relations models between identity and trauma.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)275-278
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Adolescence
Volume79
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Event centrality
  • Identity
  • Posttraumatic growth
  • Posttraumatic stress
  • Trauma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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