ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the extent to which the lack of acknowledgement of traumatic events, and the secrecy surrounding them, can be prejudicial to the individuals and groups who were subjected to them. It also highlights the manner in which silence and secrecy have given rise to the denial of traumatism, as well as the extent to which that denial lay at the origin of psychical distress. The chapter discusses the psychological consequences of secrecy in terms of splitting, feelings of guilt, and shame. Collective prejudice usually arises when there is an urgent need for social cohesion or survival, depending upon how that need is perceived in the given historical context. Building up various kinds of prejudice also has the effect of diminishing the ability to adapt to changing circumstances; often it leads to a weakening of self-esteem and undermining the feeling of belonging to the group that is subjected to such discrimination.
