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Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AS A STATE OF LIMINALITY
Karen Samuels, University of Calgary
Abstract
The following explores Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a social problem by applying Van Gennep’s “rites of passage” to the homecoming experiences of (mostly) American veterans of modern wars and peacekeeping missions. It is my intention to suggest that the absence of a socially defined and publicly acknowledged period of aggregation for homecoming veterans exacerbates and lengthens the transitional adjustment period between separation from the field and reincorporation into civilian life; and in the most complex cases, prevents veterans from reincorporating into civilian society at all. Additionally, Turner, Douglas and Bloc’s ideas regarding liminality, pollution and infamous occupations are used to address the marginalization of veterans returning from missions. The bulk of PTSD information is drawn from accounts of American veterans’ experiences; however, brief accounts of experiences of Israeli and Dutch veterans have been included for comparison.