Sense-making of trauma through leadership development

D.Phil.The world we live in is characterised by daily trauma, crisis and tragedy. The media, which are everywhere nowadays, expose us to the hurt and suffering of thousands of people, as well as to our own, and too often this creates the impression that only negative events are taking place. One cannot help but wonder whether the human race has not lost control over itself and the environment it has created. Are we victims of external events, or can we still make a difference or a positive contribution to our lives and those of others? This kind of question makes us curious about the human condition, and at the same time makes us aware of the different ways in which people deal with similar situations. Some people cannot function under difficult circumstances, while others cope quite well, and some even flourish! This gives rise to questions such as: What causes people to react so differently under equal circumstances? Why do some people become conquerors and others go to pieces? What can we learn from victors or survivors? Is it possible to teach people to become victors, instead of victims, in testing times? The researcher’s search for answers to these and other questions gave rise to this study. The focus of this study was to determine the possible key factors which led to the researcher’s friend becoming a survivor in the face of a life-threatening disease, breast cancer, and how the researcher herself managed to cope with the trauma of the disintegration of her marriage. More particularly the researcher wanted to explore how the ordeals they had gone through influenced their lives. How did their experience of trauma influence them, and what have they learned from these experiences? Questions which came to the fore at the outset of the study were the following: • How did the two women deal with loss? • Did the trauma influence their sense of purpose and meaning? • What role did their relationships with friends and family play in dealing with the traumatic events? • How did their ordeals affect their careers, and what was their employers’ reaction towards them? • How did trauma affect the various dimensions of their lives? • What advice could they as survivors offer to other people who are going through such traumatic experiences