Resiliens i Förintelseöverlevares egna berättelser : En narrativ analys av fyra överlevares egna minnen

Sammanfattning: This study has been executed as a narrative content analysis of four testimonies from the Polish Research Institute that were initiated at the end of World War II after the release of former prisoners under the Nazi regime concentration camps. The purpose of the study was to lift the survivors' individual stories from their collective identity by studying the survivors' memories of the time at the camp. To do this, a resilience theoretic perspective was used, which is associated with an individual's ability to overcome and struggle in adversity as well as maintain competence and recover from trauma. The perspective with help from internal and external factors and risk factors, answers whether differences can be deciphered from the testimonies from a gender and/or age perspective. This paper showed no noticeable differences between external factors in survivors' testimonies, more evident was the differences individuals' use of internal factors. The differences were most noticeable from an ageperspective as the internal factors could be more easily traced in the younger survivors testimonies, while risk factors were more evident in the older survivors. The results also suggest differences between which internal factors and risk factors the individuals used, although it was most noticeable from an age perspective while differences between men and women were limited. This finding is relevant because it contributes to the knowledge gap that exists about how Holocaust survivors adapted to the camp, dealing with feelings of guilt and moral dilemmas. The result also brings an understanding that each survivor's memories of time are unique and should therefore be treated as such.