UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA: A STUDY OF SELF- CONCEPT, TOXIC GUILT AND TOXIC SHAME AMONG TRAUMA EXPERIENCED INDIVIDUALS

The present study aims to study the role of trauma on self-concept, the level of toxicshame and toxic guilt an individual experiences as a consequence of trauma. Thestudy was conducted on 81 individuals both male and female, aged above 18. Thetools for data collection included Personal Data Sheet (PDS), Guilt and Shameproneness Scale authored by Cohen,et.al and Robson Self-Concept Questionnaireauthored by P.Robson. The study assessed the data based on Gender and Age ofTrauma. The data was classified, tabulated and statistically analyzed using StatisticalPackage for Social Sciences (SPSS – Version 28). Descriptive statistics were used likeMean and Standard Deviation to study the relationship between variables, t-test andOne way analysis of variance ANOVA for assessing significant differences. Thefindings of the study indicated a positive correlation between Self-Concept and ToxicGuilt and Shame among individuals that have experienced trauma. There weresignificant differences found in Self-concept as a function of Gender. Significantdifferences were found on Guilt and Shame proneness as a function of Age ofTrauma. Significant differences were found on Self-concept as a function of Age ofTrauma. No significant differences were found on Guilt and Shame proneness as afunction of Gender. Keywords: Trauma, Self-concept, Toxic Shame, Toxic Guilt