Relationality, trauma and recovery: A study of the therapeutic effects of narratives in selected writings by writers of Chinese ethnicity

This dissertation explores the interrelationship of relationality, traumas and narratives in contemporary writings produced by overseas writers of Chinese ethnicity. As the first book-length study to adopt such an interdisciplinary approach---blending contemporary research and theories on narrative studies, psychology and psychotherapies with literary studies---to examine this group of literary works, this dissertation intends to extend the frontier of current scholarship associated with Chinese diasporic writings, which have frequently been overwhelmed by discussions on the socio-political level.; Integral to this dissertation are three theoretical assumptions. First, the present work posits a model of relational self, which is in contradistinction to the established autonomous model of self. It asserts that humans' susceptibility to the influences of others is clearly manifested in relational traumas. Finally, the present work also attests to the constructed nature of human realities, maintaining that a person's feeling is predicated on how he or she construes and interprets the world. Recovery from relational traumas thus depends on a person's ability to construct an alternative interpretation of the past traumas facilitated by the act of narrating the traumatic memory.; Furthermore, it is shown that both relationships and narratives are like double-edged swords that the trauma survivors can 'use' beneficially or harmfully. Besides emphasizing the efficacy of utilizing narratives to assist a person to overcome his or her relational traumas, the present work simultaneously indicates the limits of narratives, particularly when an individual constructs a depleting rather than a life-enhancing narrative. The present work argues that the presence of a caring other or a welcoming context is indispensable to the annulment of negative impacts brought about by the formation of an inflexible narrative.; A sizable part is also devoted to illustrate the specificity of traumas triggered by significant others. Whereas the survivors' psychic allegiance to the initiators of traumas may hinder their process of recovery, without recovery survivors may inadvertently transmit the traumas to the next generation through their problematic modes of relating. Successful recovery thus depends on the generation of a flexible narrative, together with the fostering of some enriching relationships.