Define posttraumatic growth. Identify three domains in which it can be identified and give an example of each.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may include:
Paradoxically, growth may also be an outcome of loss. Posttraumatic growth is both a process and outcome in which, following trauma, growth occurs beyond an individual’s previous level of functioning (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2008). Growth outcomes occur in perception of self (e.g., as survivor rather than victim, and self-reliant yet with heightened vulnerability), interpersonal relationships (e.g., increased ability to be compassionate or intimate, to self-disclose important information, and to express emotions), and philosophy of life (e.g., reorganization of priorities, greater appreciation of life, grappling with meaning and purpose of life, spiritual change, and sense of wisdom). In contrast, terror management theory (Pyszcznski, Solomon, & Greenberg, 2003) suggests that what appears to be growth is actually cognitive coping, which protects or distances us from traumatic events and buffers fear of death.