Monuments of memory: defensive mechanisms of the collective psyche and their manifestation in the memorialization process

Abstract

The paper searches for insight in the area of collective memory as a part of collective consciousness, a phenomenon understood as a stabilizing factor for a society's self-image and identity. Collective memories are seen as originating from shared communications transmitting and creating the meaning of the past in the form of narrative, symbols and signs. As such, they contain the individual, embodied and lived side of our relations to the past. As well as the identity-building and meaning-making functions of collective memories, their defensive function is discussed with a focus on commemorative practices taking place in a transitional space between psychic and social life. Fears of a lack of collective identity and coherence have contributed to the way Polish commemorative practices have been shaped. This is considered in relation to the Smolensk catastrophe in 2010, viewed in the context of the Jungian concept of the collective psyche and the psychoanalytical understanding of defensive group mechanisms against trauma, especially those relating to loss and mourning. It leads to a consideration of how historical experiences and the experience of history can be accessed, as well as their meaning for individual and group development.

Kazakhstan Gulag heritage: Dark tourism and selective interpretation

“…In this way the non‐commemoration of the dissonant heritage of Spassk 99, Mamochkino, and Osakarovka can be explained if not understood. Kalinowska () referred to this as defensive elements in the collective psyche providing a stabilizing context for national identity. Research in this area frequently relates to the holocaust and the collective trauma of genocide (Mazur & Vollhardt, ).…”

Healing cultural trauma and its application to the Router programme

“…In relation to other European countries, Kalinowska (2012) has addressed cultural issues from within the Polish context, commenting that ‘collective consciousness and its defences are shaped by traumatic memories of the past’ (p. 440) so that trauma could remain unmourned. From their experience of training in Poland, Mathers et al (2006) not only spoke of post‐Communist cultural trauma but noticeably the use that could be made of certain archetypal patterns, when they emerged.…”

“That Night”: Unlocking the Memories of Loss on Canvey Island in 1953

“…Collective memory suggests collaboration of a group or community, regarding the way in which an event is remembered or memorialised and how it continues to have a bearing on that community 15 . It is perhaps one of the most important aspects of a mass trauma event as it provides a shared medium through which individuals can remember the events or articulate themselves through the shared stories 16 . It has been suggested that where there has been collective trauma the sharing of collective memories is essential to the healing process 17 .…”