The Belgo-Belgian conflict in individual narratives : Psychodynamics of trauma in the history of Belgium
(2012) Memory Studies — Vol. 5, n° 1, p. 42-56 (2012)
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- Authors
- Abstract
- On the basis of interviews, we highlight important historical elements with potential traumatic implications in order to understand some of the psychological roots of the current conflict-ridden relationship between French-speaking and Flemish Belgian citizens. We suggest that this conflict has a complex psychodynamic structure. Due to former experiences of shame, humiliation, disdain and contempt, two concomitant but asymmetrical defensive processes can be observed: repression in the French-language group, dissociation or rejection in the Flemish group. In particular, we hypothesize that the war experiences traumatized the Flemish identity in a complex way, generating an internal defensive pressure characterized by dissociation. The impact of these psychological processes on the current political situation is explored.
- Affiliations
Ecole belge de Psychanalyse Université libre de Bruxelles
Citations
Heenen-Wolff, S., Verougstraete, A., & Bazan, A. (2012). The Belgo-Belgian conflict in individual narratives : Psychodynamics of trauma in the history of Belgium. Memory Studies, 5(1), 42-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750698011424032 (Original work published 2012)