PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA, LIMINALITY, AND RESILIENCE IN PARAPLEGIC INDIVIDUALS: EXPLORING A SHIFTING IDENTITY CLINICAL AND PROJECTIVE STUDY
The study focuses on the psychodynamic approach to the psychological consequences of acquired motor disabilities in paraplegic individuals following a traffic accident. Emphasizing the identity issues faced by paraplegic individuals,the author, through clinical and projective research, delvedinto the manifestations of liminality experienced by a young woman transitioning to her new reality and its implications on identity concerns. Liminality, a concept borrowed from the French anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep in the context of cultural rituals and social transitions, refers in a broader sense to the process of transitioning and adapting to life changes, including those that may arise when an individual acquires a motor disability. It refers to a transitional state where a person finds themselves between two states or positions, often characterized by uncertainty, confusion, and exploration. It's a period of breaking away from previous identity and life, and an exploration of new ways of being and positioning oneself in the world. The author discusses adaptive strategies and resilience mechanisms used to overcome these identity challenges and reconcile with a new sense of self, a new post-traumatic identity
Keywords: Traffic Accident, Acquired Motor Disability, İdentity, Liminality, Resilience.