Extreme situations such as war and military service are traumatic events that leave permanent traces in a person’s psychological structure. It seems that such experiences cause constant behavioral changes in the individual, especially in the post-war period, and especially violent tendencies. The psychodynamic point of view suggests that such violent tendencies are formed through unconscious processes rather than superficial behaviors. Ideas such as Sigmund Freud’s theory of the death impulse (Thanatos) and Carl Gustav Jung’s shadow archetype provide important theoretical frameworks for understanding the sources of post-war internal violence. This study aims to examine the violent behaviors observed after military service within the framework of psychodynamic theories.
THEORIES WITH A PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH
Freud’s Theory of the Death Impulse
The concept of Thanatos, introduced by Sigmund Freud in his Beyond the Pleasure Principle, written in 1920, states that an individual has an unconscious urge to destroy and die. According to Freud, people’s behavior is shaped not only by the motivation to seek pleasure but also by self-harm and the desire to harm others. Especially experiences with intense stress and danger of death, such as war, can make it difficult to suppress this impulse, causing the expression of an individual’s behavior. Recurring nightmares and sudden outbursts of anger and aggression observed in war veterans are, according to Freud, forms of this death drive triggered by traumatic experiences. Therefore, the violent tendencies seen after the war can be considered as a manifestation of Thanatos, which becomes active in the individual’s unconscious.
Expression of Repressed Trauma
Freud’s concept of repression refers to the process of throwing traumatic memories or emotions that individuals cannot cope with into the unconscious. However, these forgotten contents do not disappear; they can appear indirectly through dreams, behavioral disorders, or various neurotic symptoms. When intense feelings such as losses encountered in military service, feelings of guilt about killing, or fear created by facing death are suppressed, the individual may react with aggression, anger, or alienation instead of confronting them directly. This repressed trauma can prepare the ground for a post-war individual to exhibit behaviors that may harm both himself and his environment.
Jung’s Shadow Archetype
Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology defines the aspects that an individual represses and has difficulty accepting under the name of the shadow archetype. The shadow contains emotions such as aggression, jealousy, and anger, which are rejected by the conscious self of the individual and are viewed negatively by society. Extreme situations, such as military service, can trigger the appearance of this shadow. However, if a person does not face these aspects, the shadow can affect their behavior uncontrollably. Outbursts of anger, antisocial behavior, or identity conflicts are among the examples of this. According to Jung, in order for an individual to remain psychologically balanced, it is necessary to recognize his shadow and include these aspects in his personality structure. When this confrontation is not achieved, it also becomes difficult for an individual to adapt to civilian life in a healthy way after the war.
CASE INTRODUCTION
Private soldier A.E. is a 24-year-old individual who completed his compulsory military service in the conflict environment in the Southeastern Anatolia region and experienced serious adjustment problems during the transition to civilian life after military service. Among the difficulties he experienced during the application are sudden outbursts of anger, social isolation, nightmares, sleep problems, suicidal thoughts from time to time, and aggressive attitudes towards his surroundings. His family directed him to get psychological support. In clinical interviews, he expresses that a close friend of his lost his life as a result of a landmine explosion in front of his eyes during his military service and that he feels intense guilt because of this situation. However, when he talks about this event, he approaches the subject superficially, avoids making emotional connections, and changes the subject often.
PSYCHODYNAMIC EVALUATION
Freud’s Theory of the Death Impulse
A.E., the violent tendencies and thoughts of self-harm that Freud exhibited after military service can be evaluated in a way related to the death impulse known as Thanatos, which Freud described. The threats and losses he was subjected to during his military service made it difficult to suppress the urge to die, which led to the expression of this urge on a behavioral level. A.E., from time to time, has feelings of aggression towards those around him or thoughts of self-harm, which are manifestations of a desire to destroy that becomes active subconsciously.
Traumatic Suppression Mechanism
A.E., when describing the death of his friend, does not go into depth about the incident and remains superficial. This situation shows that the traumatic moment has been pushed into the subconscious. When evaluated within the framework of Freud’s suppression mechanism, A.E., by suppressing the feelings of guilt, fear, and helplessness created by this event, expresses these feelings in less threatening forms, such as anger and aggression, instead of experiencing them directly. The nightmares he has at night and the flashbacks of the war memory are an indirect effort of the repressed trauma to reappear.
Jung’s Perspective of the Shadow Archetype
Within the framework of Jung’s theory, A.E.’s “dark sides”—namely the aggression he felt during the war, his testimony to the killing events, and the feelings of both pleasure and guilt he developed towards them—can be explained by the shadow archetype. A.E., during his military service, faced his shadow but consciously avoided accepting these aspects and suppressed them. As a result of this state of suppression, the shadow subconsciously takes control, causing outbursts of anger and violent acts. According to Jung, it is impossible for anyone to achieve inner wholeness without facing the shadow. A.E.’s origin of violent behavior is that he does not recognize his shadow and is guided by this shadow.
RESULT
A.E.’s aggressive tendencies are tightly linked not only with the direct consequences of war but also with repressed traumas and deep civil wars. The psychodynamic approach helps to understand how desires, conflicts, and archetypal symbols hidden in the individual’s unconscious arise at the behavioral level. While Freud’s death drive (Thanatos) and suppression theory posit that violence is potentially present in an individual’s inner world and can surface from the unconscious along with traumatic experiences, Jung’s shadow archetype emphasizes that the dark aspects of an individual that he is unaware of or rejects can threaten his sense of wholeness.
In this case, it becomes insufficient to consider violent behavior that occurs after war and military service only from an environmental or behavioral point of view. A.E., in order for him to regain his psychological balance, needs psychodynamic therapies aimed at both confronting his repressed traumas and recognizing the shadow aspects and adding these elements to his personality integrity. Thus, it becomes possible for violent tendencies to be controlled and for the individual to adapt to social life in a healthy way.