Social traumas echo in the inner world of the individual. So how do we deal with these silent cries? Could solidarity be the first step to healing?
When societies encountered difficulties in historical processes, they started to resist to overcome these difficulties. This resistance is not only an external struggle, but also a process in which the psychological structure of individuals and society is shaped and tested. While the recent political and social crises in Turkey have a deep impact on people’s psychology, they also cause society to face a major test on fundamental values such as rights, law and justice. In particular, the cases that have made a big impact in the public opinion and the unjust practices towards young people reveal the psychological effects of social resistance and the search for justice more closely. As individuals, we all carry the conscience of the situations experienced against injustice somewhere inside us.
The Tension of Speaking Out
But as I write these lines, I don’t feel completely comfortable. Frankly, I am worried like you. I feel the weight of every word. This anxiety is not only about social events… While I write my thoughts, while I form certain sentences, a voice inside me asks, “I wonder if I was too clear?” But there is another voice inside me: my conscience. That voice says, “It is not right to remain silent when you feel so many things.” I write from a point where anxiety and conscience collide. Because at some moments, staying silent feels like betraying yourself.
The Emotional Weight of Social Trauma
During times when we are shaken as a society, the emotions we experience become mixed. Sometimes, as soon as we wake up in the morning, a heaviness settles inside us, we can’t quite understand what happened. A sentence we hear on the street during the day, a news we come across on social media… all of them trigger the anxiety within us. When the sense of trust decreases as a society, these feelings begin to intensify in cases where justice is questioned. Anxiety, anger, despair, helplessness… And over time, all these emotions become a part of everyday life.
Psychological Resilience: Finding Strength in Adversity
But humans are strange creatures. No matter how much they are broken, they find ways to hold on somewhere. In psychology, this process is called psychological resilience. Don’t get me wrong; this doesn’t always mean staying strong. Because psychological resilience sometimes means standing up by crying. Sometimes psychological resilience is in staying silent, and sometimes it’s in having the courage to speak. And most of the time, this psychological resilience doesn’t grow alone; we come together, only we begin to heal only when we are together.
The Role of Solidarity in Healing
We have also experienced it in recent events. Young people who cannot remain silent in the face of injustice are being detained, but the crowds supporting them from different segments of society are growing. The silent cries of those with a conscience… All of this shows that, no matter how wounded we may be psychologically, we are still trying to heal each other’s wounds. Solidarity is not just a physical support; it is also an emotional call that says, ‘I’m here too, I understand you.’ And this call is one of the most powerful tools for psychological healing.
The Lasting Impact of Social Trauma
We all experience events that leave a mark on our minds and hearts. These events shape not only the present but also the future. The injustices experienced today deeply affect children’s sense of trust, young people’s hopes for the future, and adults’ patience. Psychologically, such an intense crisis should not be treated as a burden to be dealt with, but as a process to be understood. Because only the pain we give meaning to transforms us both as individuals and as a society. And only when we transform together can we leave a mark.
Anxiety as a Catalyst for Solidarity
Societal crises are processes that challenge individuals both physically and psychologically, affecting each person in distinct ways. Anxiety is not merely a personal emotion; it also constitutes a social reality. People experience anxiety in response to the injustices they face, and in sharing this anxiety with others, a space for collective interaction emerges. Although anxiety pushes the psychological limits of the individual, it simultaneously lays the groundwork for solidarity. Anxiety generates not only fear but also the desire to take collective action.
Building Psychological Resilience Through Togetherness
In an environment where anxiety and stress are intensely present, individuals are compelled to focus not only on themselves but also on those around them. This lays the psychological foundation for solidarity. People seek not only physical safety but also a sense of belonging—an urge to become a “we.” This sense of togetherness fosters the psychological resilience necessary for a stronger pursuit of justice.
Diverse Responses to Crises
However, this process does not affect everyone in the same way. Children, adolescents, and adults experience societal crises to varying degrees. While children seek a sense of security and struggle with uncertainty about the world around them, adolescents are more concerned with hope and anxiety about the future. Adults, on the other hand, may feel caught between patience, psychological resilience, and a sense of responsibility. Each age group responds differently to such crises, yet what unites them is the shared effort to cope with anxiety and uncertainty.
Opportunities for Transformation
In the face of injustice and ambiguity, individuals grapple not only with internal conflicts but also with societal pressures. Psychologically, this leads to significant stress. However, social traumas are not solely detrimental; they also present opportunities for unity and collective empowerment. When a community comes together in solidarity, it strengthens individual psychological resilience and paves the way for social transformation.
The Healing Power of Listening
Perhaps what we need most is to truly hear one another—the fears behind the silence, the tension etched into faces, the storms hidden beneath quietness. In times when we are collectively broken, the ability to name our emotions, to share them, and to carry them together creates a profound opportunity for healing.
Shaping the Future Through Collective Memory
Let us not forget that every collective wound also becomes part of a collective memory. And the way we carry that memory shapes the way we build the future. Even when an inner voice asks, “Was I too vulnerable?”, the voice of conscience must remain a step ahead. Because sometimes silence is not an option. Because pain transforms when shared. Because resistance often begins in the moments we embrace one another.