Background: The psychological lived experiences of individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) stemming from the Sacred Defense (Iran-Iraq War) era are invaluable resources for a profound understanding of the psychological and social impacts of war. Analyzing the narrative structure of these experiences using the theoretical tools of Gérard Genette’s narratology, particularly key concepts such as focalization, voice, and narrative time, enables the decoding of how trauma is represented and the processes of meaning-making.
Aims: The present study aimed to conduct a narratological analysis of the lived experiences of individuals with PTSD from the Sacred Defense era based on Genette’s theoretical framework, in order to understand the structure and functions of their narratives.
Methods: This study, from a paradigmatic perspective, is a qualitative investigation with a descriptive-analytical design, conducted to achieve a deep understanding of the lived experiences of individuals with PTSD from the Sacred Defense era. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews using purposive, criterion-based sampling. The sampling process continued until theoretical saturation of the data was achieved. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Gérard Genette’s theoretical framework. This analysis focused on the components of focalization, voice, and narrative time, aiming to understand how traumatic experiences and the meaning-making of war are represented within the narrative structure. In addition to interviews, library studies and documentary analysis were employed to establish theoretical foundations and interpret the data.
Results: The findings from the narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with individuals with PTSD, utilizing Genette’s framework, indicated that the narrative structure of traumatic experiences from the Sacred Defense reflects meaningful patterns across the three domains of voice, time, and mood (focalization). In all narratives, a homodiegetic narrator and an intradiegetic level were predominant, emphasizing the authenticity of personal experience. Narrative time was characterized by the intertwinement of past and present through anachrony and analepses (flashbacks), indicating the persistent presence of traumatic memories. Mood or focalization was primarily internal and variable between past and present perspectives, reflecting the process of re-evaluation and meaning-making. Furthermore, PTSD symptoms such as intrusive memories, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and hyperarousal were reflected in the narrative structure.
Conclusion: The results suggest that Genette’s theory provides an effective framework for the structural analysis of traumatic narratives. The manner in which narrative elements, particularly focalization and time management, are employed in the lived experiences of individuals with PTSD indicates their efforts to understand, recount, and impart meaning to the severe experiences of war and its consequences. The structure of these narratives, in addition to conveying experiential content and individual perspectives, contributes to a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms of coping with trauma and the role of narrative in the healing process.