Instytut Historii

Radical historical shifts in East European countries caused not only individual traumas, but also cultural traumas and „cultural complexes“ in the society. Psychotraumatological studies carried out at Vilnius University indicate a stronger traumatic experience by people who are survivors of direct political repression and even transgenerational transmission of trauma, but this group also seems to demonstrate an intergenerational transmission of resilience. Paradoxically, from a long-term perspective, the people who accomodated to the regime, have worser indicators of psychological well-being than repressed people. Overcoming cultural trauma means that society has to gradualy integrate historic traumatic experience and to restore healthy cultural identity.