Life Histories: Marks of Trauma in the Narratives of Shoah Survivors

Abstract

In this article, the textual structure of the narratives of Jewish Holocaust survivors is analyzed from the perspective of the psychological comprehension of how hard it is to work through traumatic experiences. Considering the psychic disintegration resulting from the successive traumas they suffered, we observed an apperceptive capacity deficit during the shock resulting from situations of violence and trauma. In our opinion, it is necessary to re-stimulate this apperceptive capacity in order to assist in the restructuring of the psyche. Based on literature reviews and case studies with survivors, which involved interviews conducted in the field, we present some marks in the narratives of Holocaust survivors that are characteristic of the traumas recalled. Textual structuring and punctuation are some of the resources that indicate these marks and the gradual progress in enunciating the pain recalled.