Can people experience post-traumatic growth after committing violent acts?

The concept of post-traumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes that some people experience as a result of their struggle with highly stressful and often traumatic circumstances. Research into post-traumatic growth has typically focused on survivors of violent victimisation or othe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Blackie, Laura E.R., Roepke, Ann Marie, Hitchcott, Nicki, Joseph, Stephen
Format: Article
Published: American Psychological Association 2016
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36557/
Description
Summary:The concept of post-traumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes that some people experience as a result of their struggle with highly stressful and often traumatic circumstances. Research into post-traumatic growth has typically focused on survivors of violent victimisation or other uncontrollable and tragic circumstances. However, emerging research into service members in the armed forces has shown that post-traumatic growth can also occur in this population. We synthesise existing research to propose a preliminary model outlining the psychosocial processes that may facilitate post-traumatic growth among people who have perpetrated acts of violence. We end by discussing some of the important questions that future theoretical and empirical work will need to address.