ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on traumatic stress experienced by survivors of the Holocaust. It provides a multidimensional, integrative framework that includes the relationship between developmental stages and historical and cultural contexts, on the one hand, and the patterns of traumatic stress on the other. The chapter discusses long-term adaptation to traumatic stress in light of the personal, interpersonal, and familial aspects of adult development and aging. An extensive amount of literature describes the unimaginably inhuman circumstances in the concentration camps, the continuous traumatic stressors, and the various methods of coping used during and after the Holocaust. In the case of Holocaust survivors who emigrated to Israel, the survivors live in a country that is concerned with problems of existence and is involved in wars and economic struggles. For Holocaust survivors, children may play an imperative role. As children become the vehicle for the survivors’ adaptation, their parents expectations soar.
