In this episode I talk about survivor guilt, which is a particular kind of guilt that develops in people who have survived a life-threatening situation when others have not survived. Or It can be guilt about what they did or did not do during the traumatic event and how this might have contributed to others deaths/injuries. Using interview clips from three different catastrophic events: Holocaust, HIV AIDS Epidemic, and US Veterans I offer examples that illustrate how this type of guilt shows itself. 

Naparstek, Belleruth (2004). Invisible heroes : survivors of trauma and how they heal. New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books. 

Boykin FF. ⁠⁠The AIDS crisis and gay male survivor guilt⁠⁠. Smith Coll Stud Soc Work. 1991;61(3):247-259. doi:10.1080/00377319109517367

Cobb S, Lindemann E. Neuropsychiatric observations. Annals of Surgery. 1947;177(1):814–824. [⁠⁠PMC free article⁠⁠] [⁠⁠PubMed⁠⁠] [⁠⁠Google Scholar⁠⁠]

Niederland WG. Clinical observations on the “survivor syndrome” The International Journal of Psychoanalysis. 1968;49:313–315. [

⁠⁠https://youtu.be/7be3O9ckZ1c?si=l6qO1OozKd2ADKCl⁠⁠

Rivera R.M. Coronavirus Pandemic: A Trigger for Survivor’s Guilt? Lat. Psychol. Today. 2020;7:27.

https://peterattiamd.com/estherperel/