Date of Award
Fall 2013
Document Type
Thesis
Terms of Use
© 2013 Patrick Hackeling. All rights reserved. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History Department
First Advisor
Farid Azfar
Second Advisor
Bruce Dorsey
Abstract
This paper traces the emergence and progression of cultural representations of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the United States from 1976-1988, as well as their impact on the present day. Due to the ambiguities left behind by the Vietnam War, American cinema became both a coping and exploratory vehicle for the population in the years that followed. Artistic and allegorical at first, the medium quickly shifted to commercially and patriotically driven with the election of President Reagan in 1981. As a result, this history was ostensibly rewritten. However, today, society has matured to a degree where it can look back on these times and better discern where certain inaccuracies might lie.
Recommended Citation
Hackeling, Patrick , '14, "The Evolution of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in American Cinema and Culture" (2013). Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards. 635.
https://works.swarthmore.edu/theses/635