Journal of College Student Development

Abstract:

Recent critiques have noted the lack of critical attention to theorizing the body in much of the college student identity development literature. In the case of survivors of college student trauma, the body can be a rich site of meaning making. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to explore embodied dimensions of traumatic experience and resulting implications for college student identity development. Three important themes emerged including: (a) (re) acquainting the body; (b) deciphering emotions; and (c) negotiating ability.