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The Resilience of Adolescent Girls: An Archival Diary Study of the Protective Advantages of Ordinary Adolescence in the Holocaust-Era Diaries of Anne Frank and Renia Spiegel

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Abstract

In view of recent calls for psychology to use more strengths-based approaches when studying the life experiences of girls, this qualitative archival diary study examined two famous Holocaust-era diaries for evidence of the resilience of adolescence in girls. Adolescent-themed passages were selected from the posthumously published diaries of Anne Frank and Renia Speigel, who kept private diaries while under grave threat and devastation of WWII and the Holocaust. To explore how the ordinary affairs of adolescent development may have contributed to their resilience, we used thematic analysis to explore the prevalence and emotional valence of four themes of adolescence: evolving social-relationships, emotional fluctuation, cognitive-identity changes, and physical changes. Adolescent-themed diary passages were predominantly positive, focused on love, joy, excitement, lust, self-efficacy, trust, contentment, and justice. Negatively valanced adolescent-themed passages described commonplace social concerns of relationship conflict, sadness, social-emotional distance, embarrassment, frustration, and jealousy. Whether positive or negative in valence, the adolescent-themed passages revealed gender-role consistent attention to relationships, alongside gender-role violating confessions of unrestrained sexuality and independence, as well. Theoretical conceptions of the resilience of adolescent girls and implications for theorists and trauma care providers are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Words written backward.

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  1. West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

    Jenna Marie Walmer & Lauri L. Hyers

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  1. Jenna Marie Walmer
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Correspondence to Jenna Marie Walmer.

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Walmer, J.M., Hyers, L.L. The Resilience of Adolescent Girls: An Archival Diary Study of the Protective Advantages of Ordinary Adolescence in the Holocaust-Era Diaries of Anne Frank and Renia Spiegel. Journ Child Adol Trauma 15, 375–389 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00446-5

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