Trauma and Identity Development: A Palestinian American Experience

Abstract

This dissertation explores the identity development and individuation process of a second generation Palestinian American whose parents experienced the trauma of the Nakba. An autoethnographic study, this dissertation presents the researcher’s personal story as a Palestinian American who has dealt with impact of intergenerational transmission of trauma and ongoing oppression. The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to explore and gain further understanding on the depth psychological impact of oppression and displacement on second generation Palestinian Americans. Through active imagination and dream analysis, this dissertation was able to establish the depth psychological impact of intergenerational transmission of trauma on the individuation process. Utilizing the stages of Sue and Sue’s (2013) Racial/Cultural Developmental Model, this study illustrates the trajectory of the individuation process in the context of minority identity development. Employing a Jungian depth psychological approach, this dissertation examines complexes and archetypal images that have been constellated as a result of the experience of ongoing oppression and the collective history of displacement. The findings suggest that the second generation Palestinian American experience of the intergenerational transmission of trauma, combined with ongoing oppression, lead to the development of complexes that may delay the evolution of the individuation process. The data also revealed, however, that the experience of this trauma was in fact the impetus that led to the emergence of the authentic Self.