Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the moderating effect of defensive verbal on the relationship between deliberate rumination and post-traumatic growth based on the Janus face model of self-perceived growth. The subjects of the study were 245 students of K university, and trauma experience, defensive verbal, deliberate rumination, and post-traumatic growth were measured. For the analysis, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were conducted, and the time of experiencing the trauma event was divided into four points to verify the moderating effect of defensive verbal on the effect of deliberate rumination on post-traumatic growth; point 1 (‘within one month'～‘within seven months to one year'), point 2 (‘one to two years ago’～‘two to three years ago'), point 3 (3 to 10 years ago), and point 4 (‘10 to 20 years ago'～‘more than 20 years ago’). The results of this study were as follows: At point 1, deliberate rumination showed a pattern of promoting post-traumatic growth as the moderating effect of defensive verbal; but at point 2, the moderating effect of defensive verbal was found to hinder post-traumatic growth. At points 3 and 4, the moderating effect of defensive verbal was not confirmed. These results reflected the Janus face model of self-perceived growth; in the early stages of trauma, a large proportion of illusory (defensive) aspects of post-traumatic growth, such as distortion and self-deception, was shown, whereas the adoptive character grew over time. Finally, the significance and implications of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.