Overview

"Written by scholars recognised for their achievement in a range of disciplines, this collection of original essays examines the core of psychological issue of the postmodern world: trauma and its impact on our understanding of self. Defined as disruptions in the fragile process of symbolisation, or the human capacity to give life meaning by representing the self's immortality, trauma is an increasingly conspicuous factor in the formation of the self in a world filled with perpetual violence. others show how trauma and other fundamental breaks in human continuity translate into psychiatric, historical, religious, literary and scientific aspects of the self. The contributors to ""Trauma and Self"" analyse the multiple meanings and deeper significance of trauma, whether of shell-shocked war veterans or victims of sexual abuse, and they discuss its manifestations, both subtle and obvious, in human behaviour and memory. Organised as an honorary volume to Robert Jay Lifton, the contributors acknowledge Lifton's considerable influence on contemporary empirical and theoretical understanding of trauma."

Full Product Details

9780847682294

Table of Contents

Reviews

Where most of us preferred to shut our eyes so that we could sleep at night, Robert Lifton set out to investigate . . . These excellent essays illuminate the life and work of this unique man.--Bergmann, Martin S.

Where most of us preferred to shut our eyes so that we could sleep at night, Robert Lifton set out to investigate ... These excellent essays illuminate the life and work of this unique man. -- Bergmann, Martin S. These eloquent essays are a fitting tribute to Robert Lifton--a man who has done more that anybody in our times to explore how human beings come to terms with the horrors that contemporary society visits upon them. His studies of the self under traumatic conditions have been a source not only of insight, but of inspiration. A salute to a humane and courageous man! -- Jerome Bruner Magisterial scholarship ... haunted anew by the question of the 'use' of the Holy Scriptures, which this work has so imaginatively and thoughtfully posed. The Christian Century People with an interest in Lifton's work should find something of value here. -- Guy Undrill Trauma and Self is ... an exciting array of responses of Lifton's work and compelling evidence of the creative impact he has had on the work of respected scholars from many fields. -- Merlyn E. Mowrey Religious Studies Review A remarkable collection of essays--wide-ranging, penetrating, provocative, vigorous. -- Irvin Yalom Strozier and Flynn have collected a wide-ranging series of essays that show how the concept of traumatic injury can be found in abundance in almost every facet of human life: intrapersonal, interpersonal, economic, political. This volume is so diverse that most readers will be surprised and challenged by some writers they might not have otherwise encountered. Journal Of The History Of The Behavioral Sciences

Author Information

Charles B. Strozier is Professor of History at John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where he is also Co-director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival. Michael Flynn is Lecturer of Psychology at York College, the City University of New York, and Associate Director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available