{"title":"The Double-Edged Sword of Trauma Talk: Frozen Fright, Paradoxical Resilience, and the Legal Negotiation of Credibility in Rape Cases.","authors":"Stina Lindegren, Maritha Jacobsson","doi":"10.1177/10778012261497242","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trauma is central to understanding victims' responses to sexual assault in legal contexts, but its role in credibility assessments remains contested. This study examines how trauma discourse is expressed, negotiated, and interpreted in rape trials. It is based on a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis of 10 rape cases in Sweden, including recorded courtroom interrogations (i.e., complainants' testimony and cross-examinations) and follow-up interviews with complainants. The results show that references to <i>frozen fright</i> can support credibility by explaining passivity but are often contested as exaggerated or inconsistent. Its limitations in complex cases motivate the concept of <i>paradoxical resilience</i>, capturing seemingly contradictory yet rational survival strategies. This concept may contribute to more nuanced interpretations in legal proceedings.</p>","PeriodicalId":23606,"journal":{"name":"Violence Against Women","volume":" ","pages":"10778012261497242"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Violence Against Women","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012261497242","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"WOMENS STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Trauma is central to understanding victims' responses to sexual assault in legal contexts, but its role in credibility assessments remains contested. This study examines how trauma discourse is expressed, negotiated, and interpreted in rape trials. It is based on a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis of 10 rape cases in Sweden, including recorded courtroom interrogations (i.e., complainants' testimony and cross-examinations) and follow-up interviews with complainants. The results show that references to frozen fright can support credibility by explaining passivity but are often contested as exaggerated or inconsistent. Its limitations in complex cases motivate the concept of paradoxical resilience, capturing seemingly contradictory yet rational survival strategies. This concept may contribute to more nuanced interpretations in legal proceedings.
期刊介绍：
Violence against Women is an international, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of research and information on all aspects of the problem of violence against women. The journal assumes a broad definition of violence; topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, domestic violence, sexual assault, incest, sexual harassment, female infantcide, female circumcision, and female sexual slavery.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
