The Shattered Worldview

Karyn L. Freedman points out that one of the serious effects of trauma is “the shattered worldview.” After a traumatic experience, the survivor experiences cognitive dissonance as a whole new set of beliefs form – beliefs inconsistent with their earlier ones. The survivor asks:

Am I really not capable of protecting myself against serious harm? Is the world not a safe place, or was I somehow incautious? Am I somehow responsible for the attack? Is it indicative of an individual failing, or a social one?

This new set of beliefs is a kind of alternative…