Posttraumatic growth and positive victimology: The case of ultra-Orthodox Jewish women who resided in a shelter

The current chapter will present the possibilities of positive victimology by addressing the link between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and PTSD among two different populations: ultra-Orthodox Jewish battered women in Israel, who spent time in a battered women’s shelter, and Israeli women who are living in an area of conflict and have been exposed to acts of terror, both directly and indirectly through the injury or death of friends, family or neighbors. The chapter will summarize the results of two separate studies on these groups, discuss the link to positive victimology and attempt to further understand this concept, while suggesting a salutogenic, rather than pathogenic approach to past victimization.