Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up: The social reenactment of trauma

Abstract

The phenomenon of traumatic reenactment has long been recognized as a problem for individual victims of trauma. This paper looks at social organization through the lens of the social reenactment of traumatic experience. It examines the relationship between the individual and the group and explores the concept of “groupmind,” providing a brief summary of some of the more interesting aspects of group identity. Both clinical and historical illustrations of group reenactment behavior are presented, and a mechanism for group reenactment is proposed. © Brunner/Mazel, Inc.