Positive Psychology 2.0 Posttrauma: Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) and Posttraumatic Depreciation (PTD)

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is where someone has been affected by PSTD and finds a way to take new meaning from their experiences in order to live their lives in a different way than prior to the trauma.

There are two changes after a traumatic event— it can be positive (PTG) and it can be negative (PTD).

The question is: Are they really ‘opposites’?

If you are keen on getting that Positive Psychology Certificate, read on because I will lay out this particular topic which has been one of those that pushed Positive Psychology to scientific development.

Before you continue you might like to consider our free worksheet on exploring “Shadow Work”. Please download this worksheet here.

First and Second Wave Positive Psychology

The ‘pursuit of happiness’ through Positive Psychology was first introduced by Martin Seligman and has opened up a new horizon for the psychological community to explore. Although his concept was entirely new, as it can be said that it has been influenced by Aristotelian principles and also that of Aquinas’.

“Happiness depends on ourselves.” – Aristotle

Although it has been like a revived idea, Martin Seligman was able to give emphasis and found a way to make everyone give it a second look by outlining specific concepts for it to make a buzz and gain its following.

The First Wave

Seligman’s Positive Psychology can be summed briefly through the following:

• Emphasized and focuses on the ‘positives’ (thoughts, emotions, traits, attitudes, experiences etc.)
• Drew a line between Positive Psychology (focus on ‘positives’) and ‘psychology as usual (which focused mainly on ‘negative’ experiences and qualities, dysfunction and disorder)
• Regarded negative states and experiences as unwanted, and thus people should aim to avoid these; encouraged ‘positive’ qualities as it was said to be beneficial and should therefore be sought.

But like any other new idea, it had its biggest criticisms. The following are the two points that will be discussed in this article:

1. Polarization of research and findings and instruments. Researches done after the introduction of positive psychology programs was called out for being biased as it focused entirely on ‘positives’ (ideas, constructs, thoughts, situations, emotions).Instruments used and developed were also only focusing on the ‘positives’ that results of course will report only on the ‘positives.
2. The dichotomy into ‘positives’ and ‘negatives’ was problematic.

• Dangers of the “tyranny of positivism.”
  • It was pointed out how separating the ‘positives’ poses risks (as some ‘negatives’ needs immediate attention) and how labelling it into two categories can be misleading and superficial.

• The disregard of the depth of constructs.
• • The categorization into two disregards the depth of constructs like emotions as emotions are not entirely positive or negative since expression can be situational or even personal.
  • An example is how ‘smiling’ is not entirely positive as it can be just a social activity and can also be an actual expression of delight.

• The necessity of the negative.
  • This one can be depicted by how trauma which can be considered ‘negative’ but could result in something positive like posttraumatic growth. This shows how the what Seligman’s Positive Psychology consider as ‘negative’ constructs cannot be entirely avoided or disregarded as they can also propagate ‘positive’ constructs.

TRAUMA

Trauma is one of the topics that has given progress to Positive Psychology. It is defined by the American Psychological Association as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster.” Typical responses after terrible events are shock and denial; it can lead to longer-term effects like headaches, nausea, flashbacks, difficulty in relationships, and bouts of intense emotions.

These two critiques mentioned above are just some of the points that pushed further development for Positive Psychology. But these two also resulted in the second wave of Positive Psychology which gave it a strike of balance and paved the way for better research.

Second Wave of Positive Psychology

1. Integration of dialecticsThis refers to the concept of opposites are fluidly connected and reliant on each other’s existence. How there is more to it (maybe even a connection) than just the two poles and how it is possible to have a shift from one pole to another.
2. Found a way to balance ‘psychology as usual’ and first wave positive psychology (PP)This Second Wave of Positive Psychology bridges the gap between the neglect of focus of the First Wave PP about ‘negative’ thoughts, emotions, and attitudes and also to the deficiency of encouragement and researches on the ‘positives’ in ‘psychology as usual’ or traditional psychology.
3. Embracing the ‘dark side of life’The Second Wave made sure that it acknowledges the “darker side of life” (the what First Wave considers as ‘negatives’), including it into its perspective in research.

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) and Posttraumatic Depreciation (PTD)

Posttraumatic Growth, coined by Richard G. Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun (1995) is one of the concepts embraced by Positive Psychology as the process of continuity after a traumatic event.

According to Tedeschi, “posttraumatic growth is both a process and an outcome. It is the experience of positive changes in oneself as a result of the struggle from a traumatic event.”

• He emphasized how PTG DID NOT STEM OUT from the traumatic event BUT instead comes from the struggle.
• “People first struggle to survive, not grow.”

Since PTG studies flourished years after the first wave of Positive Psychology, instruments used and developed measured only positive changes experienced from trauma.

But with the second wave of Positive Psychology where the ‘negatives’ are also considered and taken into perspective Baker et al. (2008) coined the “Post-Traumatic Depreciation” (PTD) construct, which is an inverse of PTG.

Posttraumatic Depreciation (PTD) refers to negative changes in the same domains as PTG: changes to sense self, changes to one’s perception of one’s relationships with others, and changes to the philosophy of life.

Second Wave of Positive Psychology on PTG and PTD

The constructs of PTG and PTD can be said as “positive and negative changes in the aftermath of trauma” (Baker, 2008) shows how the second wave of Positive Psychology’s integration of dialectics could prove useful in the exploration of constructs as it gives a wider perspective but still also aligned with the first Positive Psychology which is “improving wellness” instead of “fixing dysfunctions”. The dialectics observed from these two changes from trauma shows how looking not only at the positive gives more context and depth to a phenomenon.

However, a recent global study shows that PTG and PTD are entirely independent constructs (Taku et.al, 2020) and that although PTD is a negative change posttrauma, it was found out that they are not likely to be of one dimension.

Interesting right? A positive and a negative change posttrauma are not of the same dimension… hmm, then what are their opposites? Or is there? Post-traumatic growth can, in fact, co-exist with post-traumatic stress disorder. These concepts are tackled more deeply when you look into a positive psychology online course and are best learned with a solid background of the concepts of positive psychology.

 

If you’re ready to dive deeper into the fascinating world of Positive Psychology and learn how trauma can lead to personal growth, download our Shadow Work Workbook to explore the transformative power of both light and dark experiences in your life.