traumás

Traumás is a term encountered in discussions within psychology, trauma studies, and cultural studies that is used to denote the plural or multi-faceted nature of traumatic experiences. It is not part of formal medical nomenclature and its usage varies among authors, often serving as a heuristic device to emphasize that trauma can manifest in diverse, interconnected ways across individuals and groups.

Etymology and scope: Traumás is typically described as a neologism formed from the word trauma with a plural suffix. In scholarly writings, it is employed to draw attention to the complexity and heterogeneity of traumatic phenomena, including how different people may experience distinct but related injuries within shared contexts. It is not a standardized diagnostic category.

Conceptual framework: The term encompasses multiple dimensions of trauma, including emotional, cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses, as well as social effects and collective or cultural memory. Traumás highlights how trauma can accumulate across generations and communities, shaping identities, narratives, and social relationships, beyond a single event.

Applications and critique: Traumás is used in analyses of intergenerational trauma, collective memory, and diaspora experiences, as well as in literary and artistic critique to describe works that voice multiple traumatized perspectives. Critics warn that it can be vague or umbrella-like if not clearly tied to specific phenomena or evidence, and they emphasize retaining established concepts such as PTSD, complex PTSD, and intergenerational trauma for precise clinical and scholarly work.

See also: trauma, PTSD, collective memory, intergenerational trauma, resilience.