I would like to define psychological traumas in two sub-categories: objective and subjective. By objective I mean those that have a traumatic effect regardless of the person (subject) experiencing it. For example, a difficult car accident would have a traumatising effect on any subject that is physiologically affected by it. On the other hand, a subjective trauma would not always have a traumatic effect: whether a trauma is percieved or not would depend on the person and there is uncertainty on whether it is a trauma or not, because it would not be percieved as a trauma for everyone. For example, being called “stupid” could be traumatising in some context for some people but, it would be not for some other people. For this kind of trauma, there is controversy as to determine whether the event is intrinsically traumatic. So let’s discuss whether this kind of trauma really exists and if so, in which reality?
These two types of trauma taken for granted, here is a problem that I will deal with: could an event be only an objective trauma? It could be said yes, because every person hit by a car would be biologically traumatised. From another perspective, it could be argued that if a car hit another, this would not be traumatic. So an object hitting another is not traumatic. Yet, an objet hitting a subject, as person is traumatic. Therefore a subject is required for an event to be traumatic. Is this sufficient evidence to solve this problem on a trauma being completely objective? I don’t know, and this question is not furthermore important. Because the fact that a subject is required for an event to be traumatic could be interpretated as a new aspect to trauma and would bring a different perspective.
If a subject is always required for an event to be a trauma, then a trauma is naturally a subjective experience. Here is the new problem: Is a subject sufficient for a traumatic event? No, obviously an object is required and I will not continue with the philosophical tone because it would take for ever and ever in order to prove a point: a subjective trauma is determined by how the subject percieves the event and by its signification: it is attributed by the subject to the object. This would point out another reality that is subjective and uncertain: the source of all loneliness in the world.

Ecegül Aytaç