Lexington Books Moral Injury and the American Veteran: Finding Meaning in Trauma, Guilt, and Shame

Richard E. La Fleur’s, Moral Injury and the American Veteran: Finding Meaning in Trauma, Guilt, and Shame explores how moral injury, the collective manifestation of shame and guilt as a result of betrayal and transgression, experienced by veterans returning from war deeply affects one's ability to recover from traumatic stressful events, and to find meaningfulness in the world. La Fleur combines a phenomenological framework with first-hand testimonies from veterans experiencing moral injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to deepen the reader’s understanding of these life events. Through this approach, he examines two main ideas: (1) moral injury is the main source of guilt and shame experienced by veterans and reduces a person's ability to find meaning in their life or to form meaningful connections with others, and (2) moral injury cannot fully be understood through pathology, rather it invites an integrative approach to explicate an existential healing process for the sufferer. Connecting meaningfulness and the power of lived experiences, this book uses a holistic approach to reveal the human condition. Moral Injury and the American Veteran is an important resource for psychology scholars, religious leaders, health care workers, practitioners, and those who serve our veteran communities.