Trauma, Emotion, and Memory - Michael Brady

How does memory help some people grow after trauma? Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is a notion that has been extensively studied by psychologists for the past 30 years, but also represents a new version of an ancient idea present in theology, philosophy, and cultural narratives – namely, that great good can come from adversity and suffering. In this talk, Michael looks at the role of memory in PTG. He focuses in particular on the idea that in order to grow in the aftermath of trauma, ‘emotional memories’ of the event will have to diminish. The implications of this for how, if at all, trauma should be remembered will then be considered.

About the Speaker:
Michael Brady is Professor of Philosophy and was recently Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Glasgow. His research centres on the philosophy of emotion, and its links with moral philosophy and epistemology. He is author of Emotional Insight (Oxford University Press, 2013), Suffering and Virtue (Oxford University Press, 2018), Emotion: The Basics (Routledge 2018), has edited five volumes, and published numerous journal articles and book chapters. In 2022, he was awarded a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship for a project on the Philosophy of Post-Traumatic Growth, which will run until 2025. He is also philosopher-in-residence for the Manchester-based artist and performance company Quarantine.

Introduction - 00:00
Michael's Talk - 01:13
Q&A - 50:13