In the Civil War shadow: Psychological dimensions to participation in second generation descendants

Abstract

This study looks at the psychological impact of the Greek Civil War (1946-1949) amongst individuals whose parents engaged in warfare or other conflict-related activities back at the time, or saw their lives disrupted by the widespread violence of that era. Findings collected from four participants coming from left- and right-wing backgrounds through semi-structured interviews have been analyzed following two complementary approaches, the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method developed by Luborsky, and a narrative analysis of the participant self-statements and reminisces about their past. Results document impacts ranging from strong trauma in the case of a participant who lost his father as an infant, to the unfolding of lives oriented towards the processing or mirroring of parental behaviors, values, and experiences. These features square well with insights from the study of the transgenerational transmission of trauma, and also provide a more solid understanding of the relationship between identity, historic memory, and subjective lived experience than heretofore available, helping extend existing conceptualizations by providing a picture of how psychological factors and dynamics intertwine with the cultural and the social, and contribute to the eventual transformation of this war into a cultural trauma impacting the wider society.