Trauma, Culture, and PTSD
This book examines the social contexts in which trauma is created by those who study it, whether considering the way in which trauma afflicts groups, cultures, and nations, or the way in which trauma is transmitted down the generations. As Alford ar
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Trauma, Culture, and PTSD
C. Fred Alford
Trauma, Culture, and PTSD
C. Fred Alford University of Maryland College Park, Maryland, USA
ISBN 978-1-137-57599-9 ISBN 978-1-137-57600-2 DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-57600-2
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016908466 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc., in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies has kindly authorized me to quote from a number of its testimonies. I particularly appreciate the collaborative spirit with which Joanne Rudoff taught me to appreciate the contents of the archive. The work of the medical anthropologist, Allan Young, particularly his book, The Harmony of Illusions, helped me better approach and understand the origins of the diagnosis of PTSD in the legacy of the Vietnam War. Marshall Alcorn, a fellow member of the Association for Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society, has continually pushed me to widen my understanding of trauma, although he would surely not agree with all my conclusions.
v
CONTENTS
1 Introduction
1
2
PTSD Is a Culturally Bound Concept
5
3
Trauma Is Political
31
4
Extreme Trauma and Its Transmission
53
5
The Meaning of Trauma and the Place of Neuroscience
83
6
Conclusion: How Massive Trauma Works
Index
107 115
vii
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a popular diagnosis today. This book argues that while it is not a very good scientific diagnosis, it is still worthy of respect. PTSD attunes us to the suffering of individuals. Among the topics focused on are the origins of the diagnosis of PTSD (Chap. 2); how trauma works in groups (Chap. 3); how trauma is transmitted across the generations (Chap. 4); and the place of the neuropsychological study of trauma (Chap
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