The investigation of university students' cognitive constructs towards themselves and their parents in terms of childhood trauma and forgiveness

In this study, it is aimed to examine university students' cognitive constructs towards themselves and their parents in terms of childhood trauma and forgiveness. In the study designed as multiple case analysis, cognitive constructs are analyzed with repertory grid technique. Also, the data obtained from nine groups whose trauma and forgiveness levels are low, medium and high are compared. The sample group of the study consists of 289 students studying at Çukurova University. As the data collection tools; Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale and a Repertory Grid Technique created by prestudy were used. The analysis of the data was carried out with SPSS 22 and Idigroid 2.4. According to the findings reached at the end of the study, eigenvalues are in a low level in eight groups while they are in a medium level in one group and self elements in self-identity graphic exists in ambivalent area in all groups. According to the correlation of self elements and social self elements with personal constructs, the participants in all groups perceive both themselves negative and are valued negative by other people. According to another finding, self, mother and ideal mother elements are mostly located far from each other. Though the participants perceive their mothers as far from themselves, they assume that their mothers are away from ideal mother image. In addition, the participants in the groups who have high level of childhood trauma sense their mothers as negative while the participants in the others have lower level of childhood trauma assume their mothers more positively. On the other hands, father and ideal father elements are correlated more closely in the groups having higher trauma level than the ones having lower trauma level. The participants having higher level of trauma perceive their fathers closer to themselves. Self, father and ideal father elements are located far away from each other in all groups. Also, the participants in all groups consider ideal father image far from themselves and their fathers. In addition, the participants in the groups having higher and medium level of trauma perceive their fathers more negatively in contrast with the others having low level of trauma. Finally, when self-identity graphics are examined, it is seen that there are findings that support the perception forms of mother and father. As a result, according to the findings about eigenvalue and self element with the relation personal beings, having low level of trauma and high level of forgiveness does not have positive effect on self esteem and self-perceptions. On the other hand, high level of trauma and low level of forgiveness may have contribution to low level of self-esteem and negative self-perceptions. Also, there is no difference in terms of forgiveness levels in parents' cognitive representations but the participants having high level of trauma perception their mother and father more negatively than the others having low level of trauma in contrast. Key words: Childhood trauma, forgiveness, cognitive construct, repertory grid technique