It was written by Kris Sieckert with the permission of Dr. Marlene Young, NOVA Executive Director. In other words, cultures are a means for sharing wisdom and skills that are necessary to the survival of the community, the individual and the community area of humanity. Therefore, our culture shapes how we identify and interpret the threat of traumatic events and how we manifest our distress in response to these events. It is important that crisis responders attempt to understand their own cultural identities as they reach out to serve others. Interpreting Traumatic Events Culture influences what type of threat is perceived as traumatic and how we interpret the meaning of the traumatic event.
Culture also influences how individuals and communities express traumatic reactions.
While reactions to trauma seem to be common throughout all cultures and based in the physiology of human beings, manifestations of responses may differ significantly. Culture forms a context through which the traumatized individuals or communities view and judge their own response. If people think that the society around them will not accept them as victims, there is a tendency to withdraw and be silent. This is a critical issue for many people who are victims. Their own culture or the culture in which they exist may reject or stigmatize them and may be perceived as an additional injury.