Life Challenges with Psychological Consequences Connected to Growing up in War and Post-War Conditions

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between the “Don’t Exist” injunction and the developmental conditions of two groups of adolescents: those who grew up alongside parents who experienced war and post-war conditions, and those who grew up in conditions of peace. Growing up in war and post-war conditions means, for adolescents, that they incorporate the injunctive messages “Do not exist” more than those who grow up in conditions of peace. Injunctive messages from parents were expressed non-verbally during the early years of today’s adolescents’ upbringing. The consequence of having high levels of the injunction “Don’t Exist” is observed through the psychological indisposition that we detected with the ESPERO questionnaire. The research results reported in this article refer to research conducted among Croatian adolescents in the spring of 2011. These adolescents were born during the war against Croatia (1991-1995) and were between 1-3 years old. The results show us that there is a statistically significant difference between adolescents raised in war and post-war conditions with adolescents raised in peaceful conditions. Based on the data, seven psychoeducational steps are suggested for the healthy development of a person and for a possible way of life for those who have suffered the consequences of war. In addition to this, the significant contribution of transactional analysis to the understanding of psychological processes in social relationships is highlighted.