The Trauma Trilogy of Catastrophic Grief, Survivor Guilt and Anger in Aging Child Holocaust Survivors

Abstract

This article is based on a qualitative research study that explored the impact of trauma experienced by child Holocaust survivors who were interned in concentration camps for periods of time during their childhood/adolescence. A conceptual model of a traumatic bereavement was developed based on the analysis of in-depth, repeated interviews conducted with nine elderly survivors. Despite the passing of many decades the impact of Holocaust related trauma exposure was evident in the narratives of child survivors both in the form of traumatic stress symptoms and features of traumatic bereavement. The term catastrophic grief is proposed to properly capture the devastation and despair associated with the scale and complexity of Holocaust related loss in child survivors. Catastrophic grief appeared to be compounded by associated affects. The authors suggest the presence of a “Trauma Trilogy” in these child Holocaust survivors, consisting of interlinked difficulties in dealing with catastrophic grief, survivor guilt and anger, that are intimately entwined and appear central to catastrophic loss. This constellation of suffering inevitably contributed to leanings toward despair in the negotiation of Erikson’s final life conflict phase of integrity versus despair.