Nachträglichkeit : A Freudian perspective on delayed traumatic reactions
Abstract
The Freudian concept of Nachträglichkeit is central to the psychoanalytical understanding of trauma. However, it has not received much attention within the contemporary field of trauma studies. This paper attempts to reconstruct the logic inherent to this concept by examining Freud’s remarks on the case of Emma. Furthermore, it is argued that Nachträglichkeit offers an interesting perspective on both (a) the well-established yet controversial finding that traumatic reactions sometimes follow in the wake of non-Criterion A events (so-called minor stressors or life events) and (b) the often-neglected phenomenon of delayed-onset PTSD. These two phenomena will appear to be related in some instances. Nachträglichkeit clarifies one way in which traumatic encounters are mediated by subjective dimensions above and beyond the objective particularities of both the event and the person. It demonstrates that the subjective impact of an event is not given once and for all but is malleable by subsequent experiences.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The impact of a traumatic event is not fixed but can be shaped by subsequent experiences, because the subjective perception of trauma is not given once and for all.
“The Freudian concept of Nachträglichkeit, which can be translated as deferred action, suggests that the impact of a traumatic event is not fixed but rather can be shaped by subsequent experiences.This is because the subjective perception of the trauma is not given once and for all (Bistoen, Vanheule, S. & Craps, 2014).”
From The Role of Early Trauma in the Formation of Belief in Reptilian Conspiracy Theories: A Psychoanalytic Perspective (2023) · cites this paper as Bistoen, Vanheule, S. & Craps, 2014
Cites
Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: a meta-analysis
Ozer, E. J., Best, S. R., Lipsey, T. L., & Weiss, D. S. (2003) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.1.52 · Cited by 3,322 · see citing works
Unclaimed experience: trauma, narrative, and history
(1997) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.34-3723 · Cited by 2,689 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Cathy Caruth (1995, 1996) strongly argues the case that an event can only evoke traumatic after-effects due to this particular characteristic: that it “is not assimilated or experienced fully at the time, but only belatedly” (Caruth, 1995, p. 4).”
BackgroundPsychological theories of posttraumatic stress disorder
Brewin, C. R., & Holmes, E. A. (2003) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/s0272-7358(03)00033-3 · Cited by 1,132 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The idea of a “missed encounter” is also corroborated by the finding that dissociation during the traumatic event (so-called peri-traumatic dissociation) is one of the most powerful predictors of clinical outcome (Brewin & Holmes, 2003).”
ResultInfluence of predispositions on post-traumatic stress disorder: does it vary by trauma severity?
Breslau, N., Troost, J. P., Bohnert, K., & Luo, Z. (2013) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291712001195 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Dixon, A. M. (2023) · British Journal of Psychotherapy · doi:10.1111/bjp.12856 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bistoen, G., Vanheule, S., & Craps, S.
- Affiliations
- Ghent University (BE)
- Venue
- Theory & Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-04-21
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 668-687
- ISSN
- 0959-3543 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7447
- OpenAlex
- W2111501822
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 3.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Theory & Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Universiteit Gent
- Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds UGent
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Memory, History, Trauma, Identity
- Keywords
- Nachträglichkeit, Sigmund Freud, trauma, life events, delayed-onset PTSD, psychoanalytic theory of trauma
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
