Trauma and Development: A Faith Perspective

This essay describes the relationship between psychological trauma, psychosocial development and faith. I delineate four phases of development, each possessing particular psychosocial needs, achievements, and capacities. In addition, each phase includes specific ways of organizing experience and relating to objects in terms of the dynamics of trust-distrust and loyalty-disloyalty. Thus, trust-distrust and loyalty-disloyalty hold different meanings and functions in each phase. Throughout these phases, primary and secondary transitional objects provide persons with safe objects to recognize and work through the meanings and affects associated with changes in beliefs about and experiences of trust-distrust and loyalty-disloyalty. I suggest that trauma impacts phase specific capacities and achievements consequently disrupting one's ability to organize and relate to objects in terms of the dynamics of faith. Pastoral Care and Counseling