My doctoral dissertation examined how traumas born of high-control and unpredictable environments can result in a specific psychological profile and maladaptive coping strategies that may be passed on generationally. I studied this phenomenon among Slavic Community members who were raised in a fundamentalist, evangelical, ex-Soviet community in the U.S.

My findings show that chaos and overwhelming novelty (e.g., repeated sudden loss, a collapsed government, persistent persecution, or major displacement) lead to increased traits and behaviors of authoritarianism (i.e., psychological rigidity, moral absolutism, and policing behaviors). I posit that this risk may exist regardless of context (political, familial, or cultural), and that one authoritarian context bleeds into the other (i.e., political authoritarianism shows up in religious beliefs and/or family practices).

My research is built on the true stories of survivors who describe how psychological safety and predictability are sustained in the Slavic refugee diaspora via authoritarian behaviors, beliefs, and practices in their families and churches. My findings also show that despite the threat of totalitarianism passing, the coping skills useful in such contexts did not disappear in younger generations who are no longer in the Soviet Union, and is in fact protected through fundamentalist Christian beliefs and practices. I propose that this misalignment leads to strategies that get in the way of living a relationally-attuned and satisfactory life. I suggest that this trauma cycle of authoritarianism can be broken when someone acquires enough internal and external resources to escape the re-enactment.

My paper equips readers with historically-informed, scientific insight and clinical theories of and interventions for this phenomenon. My vision for this project was to raise awareness and improve mental and relational health outcomes of those recovering from authoritarian regimes, religions, or families.

To read this dissertation, click here.

To simply view the dissertation, please go to:

AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive: https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/1206/