Social Trauma within the Framework of Clinical Sociology: A Comparative Analysis of France and Turkey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18366795Keywords:
Vincent de Gaulejac, clinical sociology, social trauma, identity, social neurosis, shame, comparative analysisAbstract
Social trauma is not merely an individual psychological crisis in modern societies but a multilayered phenomenon triggered by economic fluctuations, natural disasters, and social movements, shaped by historical heritage and institutional structures. Using a qualitative and theoretical research design, this study presents a comparative analysis of the individual and societal dimensions of social trauma within the framework of Vincent de Gaulejac’s clinical sociology approach. The research examines the 2005 banlieue riots and the COVID-19 pandemic in France, alongside the 2001 economic crisis, the 2013 Gezi Park protests, and the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Turkey as case studies.
Focusing on de Gaulejac’s concepts of "social neurosis," the "individual-history-society triangle," and "shame," the study addresses how traumatic experiences are internalized by individuals. The analysis results reveal that the concept of "social neurosis" explains the conflict between norms and reality experienced by individuals, while the emotion of "shame" demonstrates how exclusion, loss of status, and the feeling of institutional abandonment damage identity construction. The comparative analysis indicates that while trauma in France is more pronounced around socio-spatial segregation and integration issues, in Turkey, it is shaped primarily through economic insecurity and the erosion of trust in institutions. In conclusion, this article emphasizes that social trauma is a socio-political rupture rather than a personal inadequacy. Furthermore, it argues that clinical sociology methods, such as group work and autobiographical narratives, hold significant intervention potential in the transition of individuals from victimhood to subjecthood and in the repair of collective memory.
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