Individual differences in attitudes and perceptions toward posttraumatic growth and illusory growth

Posttraumatic Growth Impacts Views of Others’ Trauma: The Roles of Shared Experience and Gender

“…First, knowing whether relatability factors into a lay person’s ability to differentiate PTG and illusory growth can provide a line of evidence for the existence of both theorized growth types in the world, since available studies have focused on the methodological concerns surrounded by the validity of self-reported PTG (Frazier et al, 2009) and discrepancies among coping styles (Cheng et al, 2018; Zoellner & Maercker, 2006) to illustrate the possibility of illusory growth. This could further affirm previous suggestions of participants’ ability to distinguish between PTG and illusory growth (Orille et al, 2019). Second, studies interested in measuring PTG through self-report may be able to use this information to redefine illusory growth.…”

“…Maybe identifying with key sociocognitive elements and recognizing them within one's own growth narrative affects perceptions of growth after traumatic experiences. Another consideration is that attitudes toward narratives of PTG tend to be more favorable than toward illusory growth (Orille et al, 2019). Perhaps, individuals relate more to concepts that appeal to them.…”

“…If differences between growth types are evident, the processes which underlie illusory growth may indicate a different approach to psychological intervention in contrast with psychoeducational interventions that have been found to cultivate perception and understanding of PTG (Taku et al, 2017). Orille et al (2019) found that lay persons do, in fact, distinguish between PTG and illusory growth, have more positive attitudes toward depictions of PTG, and believe them to be more authentic than depictions of illusory growth. Yet how individuals distinguish between PTG and illusory growth is still unknown.…”