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Cultural Trauma and Recovery

Perspectives from Terror Management Theory

University of Hawaii at Manoa

This article examines an essential psychological function of culture and the consequences of its traumatic disruption from the perspective of terror management theory. The experience of indigenous peoples in their contact with Europeans and the social, psychological, and behavioral consequences of that traumatic contact constitute the focus of this examination. Culture, it is suggested, serves as a psychological defense cooperatively constructed to manage the terror inherent in human existence and allow anxiety-prone human organisms to act adaptively. Implications for mental health professionals working with culturally diverse populations and with people seeking to recover, clarify, and affirm their cultural foundations are considered.

Key Words: cultural trauma • indigenous • culture • anxiety • existential • terror management

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