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survivor guilt  

Definition

  • Survivor guilt is the term used to identify feelings of responsibility and self-blame in those who experience the death or significant loss of someone that they care about and wonder why they were spared. It is a common theme in literature and entertainment media and is seen both in response to individual losses and to catastrophic events in which many people are killed or injured, such as the Nazi Holocaust. [Source: Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience; Survivor Guilt]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/survivor_guilt

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