From Gyokusai to Ikiru: The Reconstruction of Social Identity and Negotiation of Cultural Trauma in Post-War Cinema
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the cognitive reframing of collective trauma and the reconstruction of social identity in post-war Japanese cinema, focusing on the 2023 film Godzilla Minus One.Following mass casualties, survivors frequently experience survivor guilt and a crisis of meaning.While the traditional Japanese wartime cultural script of Gyokusai glorified state-mandated death, this research explores the ideological shift toward Ikiru, the individual obligation to live.Utilizing a qualitative thematic analysis integrated with a social cognition approach, this study examines scenes triggering survivor guilt and therapeutic resolutions within the film.Semi-structured interviews with five exploratory informants were conducted to assess audience meaning-making.The findings reveal that technological artifacts, such as the ejection seat, function as therapeutic cultural scripts that grant psychological permission for post-traumatic growth.Audiences cognitively reframe the protagonist's survival not as an act of cowardice, but as a triumphant redefinition of heroism.Ultimately, this study demonstrates how popular cinema acts as a therapeutic space for negotiating cultural trauma, offering a new perspective in social and clinical psychology on how modern audiences process historical guilt and rebuild collective identity.
Source: Socium.
DOI: 10.62476/soc33156
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7223417643