3 ms·
trauma: "an emotional wound or shock often having long-lasting effects" <https://dict.org/bin/Dict?Form=Dict2&Database=wn&Query=trauma https://dict.org/bin/Di
by dredmorbius 2y ago
trauma: "an emotional wound or shock often having long-lasting effects"
<https://dict.org/bin/Dict?Form=Dict2&Database=wn&Query=trauma https://dict.org/bin/Dict?Form=Dict2&Database=wn&Query=traum...>
Etymology may also be informative: <https://www.etymonline.com/word/trauma https://www.etymonline.com/word/trauma>
The description you give seems to come from Wikipedia's article, which at this writing follows that immediately with: "It must be understood by the affected person as directly threatening the affected person or their loved ones with death, severe bodily injury, or sexual violence."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Psychological_trauma&oldid=1234675877 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Psychological_tra...>
The situations being discussed in TFA and by numerous commenters (and certainly myself) do in fact involve direct threats of death or severe bodily injury to the affected person or their loved ones.
- RandomThoughts3 2y agoWell, no, the usual definition of trauma involves being "outside the normal range of human experiences". Having cancer is extremely distressing but it is not trauma. Anyway, yours and the other answer I got confirm what I though. The word definition has indeed been widely broadened in the US.
- kranke155 2y agolate 17th century: from Greek, literally ‘wound’ - a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. What's your definition.
- RandomThoughts3 2y ago"a powerful psychological shock that has damaging effects" OED, unchanged since 1917 A trauma is not just a distressing experience. That’s silly. We wouldn’t even have needed a new word if that was the case. Why weaken and therefore overall diminish the English language?
- kranke155 2y agoSo you literally went to another dictionary to prove yourself right? Must be fun.