This dissertation investigates the multiple grammars of trauma, survival, and witnessing through which personal suffering was articulated and acted upon in the aftermath of November 13, when a series of attacks on the Bataclan theater, cafés in Paris, and the Stade de France in Saint-Denis left 131 dead and thousands of survivors. Based on four years of participant observation research and original archival scholarship in France between 2018 and 2022, this research brings ethnology and history together to examine the aftereffects of colonialism not only “far afield” but also—within an epistemological frame that foregrounds relationality—at the diasporic “center.” “Postmetropolitan Trauma,” as I term it, thus offers a novel approach to the history of our present. Following the 2015 attacks in France, state insurers are processing individuals claims for PTSD compensation from the Guarantee Fund for Victims of Acts of Terrorism (FGTI). Meanwhile, an adjacent diagnostic practice is taking place at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, where neuropsychologists are conducting biomedical research on PTSD in survivors. As testimonies are being processed by FGTI for financial compensation, on the one hand, and for a science of memory, on the other, a paradox arises: The ideal survivor for the neuropsychologist is she who overcomes her PTSD, and yet, for the purposes of trauma compensation, that is, from a forensic point of view, the survivor must remain symptomatic. In analyzing this paradox, I uncover reparation as a dynamic process of community making which is wider than its result, the final awarding or denial of compensation. While studies of the “War on Terror” have focused on the rise of the terrorist as the new Other, “Postmetropolitan Trauma” instead centers on the processes of subjectivation, identity construction, and community making that compensation produce in the wake of November-13. Who is considered a “survivor,” and as such an insider to trauma, and who is denied compensation as a “mere” witness? This novel approach reveals that the themes of violence and belonging are not restricted to the construction of perpetrators alone, but also shape the treatment of victims. In so doing, the dissertation proposes a new model for understanding the contradictory impulses of inclusion and exclusion, of violence and care, that shape the making of moral communities through historical trauma.

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One hundred, primarily incarcerated, adult male sex offenders, were interviewed to determine the extent of their own experience of childhood sexual abuse and their incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Also investigated were the roles played by various aspects of sexual abuse in the development of PTSD and other psychological disorders. Fifty seven percent of the sample reported having been sexually victimized. Findings regarding age when the abuse began, use of force and severity of body violation were consistent with previous studies. As was found in prior research, the majority of their abusers were known to them and were women. Abuse by men and having been anally penetrated were correlated with the development of PTSD. Also implicated in the development of PTSD and related symptomology was the use of force during the abuse, severity of bodily violation, and, inconsistently, duration of the abuse. Regression analysis revealed use of force, not telling about the abuse as a child, a closer relationship to one's perpetrator, and increased severity of body violation to be, in combination, most consistently predictive of PTSD development. In the sexually abused sample, 33% received a retrospective diagnosis of PTSD, while five percent were currently diagnosed. This contrasts with rates found in the non-sexually abused sample of 7% past diagnosis of PTSD and 2% current diagnosis of PTSD. / Ph. D.

Text in English / This research was aimed at giving a voice to three women, who are constructed as having had a traumatic event recalled from their autobiographical memory. To achieve this objective an epistemological framework of social constructionism was used to investigate autobiographical memory recall of trauma. Three in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who constructed themselves as having had a traumatic event. A case study approach was used to gain access to the information and to compare themes. The research explored the way in which dissociation, voluntary thought suppression, minimisation and outright denial enabled the three participants to alter unbearable memories through the use of recurring themes. To interpret these stories the content of the themes was analysed using thematic content analysis. The participants represented different cultures, languages and religions. In sharing their symptoms this did not necessarily mean they attached the same meaning to a specific theme, as individual meaning-making corresponded to the individual‟s background and history and their perception of the trauma. The stories related by the three participants revealed a shattered worldview that brought them into opposition with community norms and standards, which the narrators experienced as silencing and judgemental. In this regard the researcher‟s aim was to generate information from the participants themselves. This inquiry into the personal trauma stories and meanings suited a qualitative research approach, a form of methodology that allowed personal insight into the meanings the three participants attributed to their trauma and the autobiographical recall of trauma. At the same time it allowed a co-constructed reality to take shape between the researcher‟s reality and the participant‟s reality, always acknowledging the importance of their being the expert of their own individual trauma memory. This is in contrast to a quantitative approach which focuses on numbers to quantify the results; a qualitative approach on the other hand is a personal, rich information-gathering tool that takes into account the emotions and meaning-making of each individual story without any intention to generalise the information gathered to a larger population It is hoped that through this research there is a realisation that although trauma victims share symptoms, the meaning-making of the individual attached to this trauma is influenced by their society and history within their respective environments. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

This research was aimed at giving a voice to three women, who are constructed as having had a traumatic event recalled from their autobiographical memory. To achieve this objective an epistemological framework of social constructionism was used to investigate autobiographical memory recall of trauma. Three in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who constructed themselves as having had a traumatic event. A case study approach was used to gain access to the information and to compare themes. The research explored the way in which dissociation, voluntary thought suppression, minimisation and outright denial enabled the three participants to alter unbearable memories through the use of recurring themes. To interpret these stories the content of the themes was analysed using thematic content analysis. The participants represented different cultures, languages and religions. In sharing their symptoms this did not necessarily mean they attached the same meaning to a specific theme, as individual meaning-making corresponded to the individual‟s background and history and their perception of the trauma. The stories related by the three participants revealed a shattered worldview that brought them into opposition with community norms and standards, which the narrators experienced as silencing and judgemental. In this regard the researcher‟s aim was to generate information from the participants themselves. This inquiry into the personal trauma stories and meanings suited a qualitative research approach, a form of methodology that allowed personal insight into the meanings the three participants attributed to their trauma and the autobiographical recall of trauma. At the same time it allowed a co-constructed reality to take shape between the researcher‟s reality and the participant‟s reality, always acknowledging the importance of their being the expert of their own individual trauma memory. This is in contrast to a quantitative approach which focuses on numbers to quantify the results; a qualitative approach on the other hand is a personal, rich information-gathering tool that takes into account the emotions and meaning-making of each individual story without any intention to generalise the information gathered to a larger population It is hoped that through this research there is a realisation that although trauma victims share symptoms, the meaning-making of the individual attached to this trauma is influenced by their society and history within their respective environments. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The purpose of this study was to provide a clear conceptualization of how Vietnam veterans who have previously been diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) respond and cope with the emotional and psychological effects presented by the present war in Iraq.

This study examined the validity of the South African Police Service (SAPS) multiple stressor intervention. The multiple stressor was developed for members of their specialised units to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Unfortunately, the SAPS multiple stressor intervention lacks scientific evidence to support its possible effectiveness in addressing PTSD. In the current study a deployment and intervention group was compared which employed a pre- test post-test design. The Davidson Trauma Scale and the Revised Impact of Event Scale measured PTSD globally, but also the PTSD dimensions of Intrusion, Avoidance/Numbing, and Hyperarousal. The Wilcoxon signed rank test results indicated that the intervention and deployment was both effective in addressing PTSD although the intervention group revealed the greatest improvement in their overall PTSD scores. The intervention group made significant progress in dealing with all three PTSD symptoms while the deployment group made less progress with their Intrusion and Avoidance/Numbing symptoms, but made significant progress with their Hyperarousal symptoms. The Mann-Whitney u test revealed no significant differences between the post intervention test scores of the two groups, either globally or on the three PTSD dimensions. It appears that deployment was just as effective as the multiple stressor intervention in addressing PTSD. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

This study examined the validity of the South African Police Service (SAPS) multiple stressor intervention. The multiple stressor was developed for members of their specialised units to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Unfortunately, the SAPS multiple stressor intervention lacks scientific evidence to support its possible effectiveness in addressing PTSD. In the current study a deployment and intervention group was compared which employed a pre- test post-test design. The Davidson Trauma Scale and the Revised Impact of Event Scale measured PTSD globally, but also the PTSD dimensions of Intrusion, Avoidance/Numbing, and Hyperarousal. The Wilcoxon signed rank test results indicated that the intervention and deployment was both effective in addressing PTSD although the intervention group revealed the greatest improvement in their overall PTSD scores. The intervention group made significant progress in dealing with all three PTSD symptoms while the deployment group made less progress with their Intrusion and Avoidance/Numbing symptoms, but made significant progress with their Hyperarousal symptoms. The Mann-Whitney u test revealed no significant differences between the post intervention test scores of the two groups, either globally or on the three PTSD dimensions. It appears that deployment was just as effective as the multiple stressor intervention in addressing PTSD. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Increasing violence in the work environment created a need for an effective intervention to debrief traumatised workers. The aim of this study is to compile a profile of an effective trauma debriefer that can be used as a criterion for the selection of trauma debriefers. The task description of the trauma debriefer is based on the literature studied. The profile of the trauma debriefer was compiled using the characteristics of a self-actualised person, as described by the Humanism, as well as the skills based on Ivey's Microskills Hierarchy Model. Structured, non-directive interviews were conducted with five experts on the training of trauma debriefers. A qualitative analysis was made of the interviews, based on the personality characteristics and skills identified in the literature. A profile of an effective trauma debriefer that can be used as criterion during the selection of trauma debriefers, was compiled. Conclusions and recommendations were made and limitations were identified. / Toenemende geweld in die werksomgewing het gelei tot 'n behoefte aan 'n koste- effektiewe intervensie vir die ontlonting van getraumatiseerde vverkers. Die doei van die navorsing is die samestelling van 'n profiel van 'n effektiewe traumaontlonter, ten einde die profiel as kriterium vir die keuring van traumaontlonters te gebruik. Die taakbeskrywing van 'n traumaontlonter, gebaseer op relevante literatuur, is opgestel. Die profiel van 'n effektiewe traumaontlonter is aan die hand van die persoonlikheidskenmerke van die selfaktualiserende persoon, soos vervat in die Humanism©, en die vaardighede, gebaseer op Ivey se Mikrovaardighede Hierargiese Model, saamgestel. Gerigte, nie-direktiewe onderhoude is met vyf kundiges op die gebied van opleiding van traumaontlonters, gevoer. Die onderhoude is kwalitatief ontleed aan die hand van die persoonlikheidskenmerke en vaardighede vanuit die literatuur. 'n Profiel, wat as kriterium vir die keuring van effektiewe traumaontlonters gebruik kan word, is saamgestel. Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings is gemaak en beperkinge is geidentifiseer. / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The purpose of this study is to tell the story of lay trauma counsellors - how the work they do affects them, what helps them to cope and what hinders their coping. The epistemological framework of this study is constructivism. This study involved in-depth interviews with three lay trauma counsellors from different cultural backgrounds who counselled for a minimum of one year. Hermeneutics was the method used to analyse the data. The stories of participants were recounted through the researcher’s lens in the form of specific themes that emerged for individual participants. Recurring themes evident in the stories of all three participants were discussed and compared with the literature. The information gleaned could be valuable to organisations considering setting up lay trauma programmes, to those with established programmes, as well as to prospective and experienced lay counsellors. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)