A Note on a Relationship between Personal and Societal Problems

Working in a private practice with a primarily American expatriate population in east-central Europe, some recurring common problems and themes emerged. One of them, active attempts at dealing with past victimization, is scrutinized more closely. Four cases are presented to support the hypothesis th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 1999-10, Vol.62 (3), p.196-2018
Main Author: Pick, Thomas M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological - physiology
Adult
American people
Americans abroad
Anxiety - psychology
Anxiety - therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Case studies
Crime Victims - psychology
Eastern Europe
Expatriates
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Personal problems
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapy
Relationship
Social Adjustment
Social problems
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy
Victimology
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Description
Summary:Working in a private practice with a primarily American expatriate population in east-central Europe, some recurring common problems and themes emerged. One of them, active attempts at dealing with past victimization, is scrutinized more closely. Four cases are presented to support the hypothesis that coming to a formerly communist country was motivated significantly by an attempt at a "heroic resolution" of psychic wounds left by a history of victimization. Parallels are drawn between the effects of victimization on the four cases presented and on societies under a dictatorship. Psychological hazards associated with the heroic resolution are also presented. Finally, some suggestions are made for counteracting the aftereffects of severe victimization in affected populations.
ISSN:0033-2747
1943-281X
DOI:10.1080/00332747.1999.11024866