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Volume 37, Number 2, pages 119-154 (2026)
https://doi.org/10.26830/symmetry_2026_2_119
SYMMETRY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ADAPTATION TO TRAUMA, ILLNESS AND DISABILITY PART II: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAUMATIC CONDITIONS
Hanoch Livneh
Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751. U.S.A.
Email: livnehh@pdx.edu
Abstract: The aim of this two-part paper is to discuss the concept of symmetry and its derivatives, symmetry breaking and asymmetry, and the role they assume in elucidating the structure and processes that underlie psychosocial adaptation to traumatic experiences. To achieve this aim, in Part I, first, a cursory review of symmetry is undertaken as it applies to physics, including conservation laws, the forces of nature, and leading theories of nature. Second, the paper addresses how symmetry is perceived in biology and medicine, including symmetry within biochemical and genetic structures, the human body, and the onset of disease processes. Third, the place of symmetry in the psychological and behavioral domains is explored, including symmetry’s relationship with sensory-affective perceptions, personality attributes, attitudinal and behavioral compatibilities, and mental health correlates. Fourth, the place of symmetry within both the interpersonal and externa-personal environments is explored. Finally, the role symmetry plays in several personality theories (Freudian, Jungian, Lewinian) and psychological models (chaos and complexity models, positive disintegration and reintegration) are explored.
Keywords: symmetry, trauma, psychosocial adaptation, complexity, order
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