THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF DIASPORIC TRAUMA: TRACING THE PATHWAY FROM PTSD TO PTG IN SHIDA BAZYAR’S THE NIGHTS ARE QUIET IN TEHRAN

Abstract

This study examines the psychological trajectory of trauma and transformation in The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by situating the narrative within an interdisciplinary framework that integrates diaspora studies and trauma psychology. It argues that the relationship between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) is not linear but curvilinear, marked by oscillation, recurrence, and gradual reconfiguration of identity across generations. Drawing on PTSD models outlined by the American Psychiatric Association and PTG theory developed by Tedeschi & Calhoun (2004), the study conducts a qualitative textual analysis of the novel to trace how trauma is represented, transmitted, and transformed within a diasporic family. The analysis reveals that first-generation characters exhibit persistent symptoms of PTSD, including intrusive memory, avoidance, and emotional fragmentation, rooted in experiences of political violence and forced migration. In contrast, second-generation characters engage with inherited trauma through reflection and reinterpretation, demonstrating elements of PTG such as identity reconstruction, emotional resilience, and meaning-making. The narrative structure itself reinforces the curvilinear model, as it moves between past and present, illustrating the coexistence of distress and growth rather than a sequential progression. The study further addresses counter-arguments that interpret such transformation as mere cultural assimilation, arguing instead that the novel presents a deeper psychological process grounded in critical engagement with memory and history. By integrating theoretical models with close textual analysis, this research contributes to both literary criticism and trauma studies, highlighting the importance of viewing diaspora as a dynamic psychological process. It concludes that trauma in diasporic contexts cannot be adequately understood through linear frameworks and calls for further interdisciplinary research that bridges literary narratives with psychological theory.