Triple A Learning IB Blogs

While Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD is a well know psychological disorder, Post Traumatic Growth is a more recent area of research. A leader in this field is Dr. Robert Tedeschi, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina Charlotte who argues that the  trauma itself isn’t necessarily a good thing for people, but rather it’s the struggle to deal with trauma and the resulting growth that is beneficial. He defines trauma as a threat to psychological integrity, especially cognition. He said trauma is “a shattering of the assumptive world,” or the way in which one perceives the world around him or her, and acts as a catalyst for PTG.
A recent article the New York Times makes the case that history might be on the side of Japan as it struggles to come to grips with the recent events:

It can also increase their resiliency to subsequent adversity. Today, some researchers say that posttraumatic growth is far more common than long-term posttraumatic stress disorder. The norm is to adapt and grow following trauma. That phenomenon is, not coincidentally, Japan’s heritage and cultural norm.

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