Profiling the concept of TRAUMA in English-language educational discourse
Abstract
The article presents a linguo-cognitive analysis of the profiling of the concept of TRAUMA in English-language educational discourse. The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing role of traumatic experience in contemporary society and the integration of the trauma-informed approach into educational practices. The aim of the study is to identify the specific features of the actualization of the core and peripheral attributes of the concept TRAUMA within the institutional educational environment and to determine the cognitive mechanisms underlying its profiling. The theoretical and methodological framework is grounded in cognitive semantics, conceptual metaphor theory, discourse analysis, and linguoconceptology. The research material includes dictionary definitions, online courses, academic textbooks, and scholarly articles on trauma-informed education. The study reconstructs a multi-level frame model of the concept TRAUMA, encompassing the following profiles: prototypical (injury), clinical (diagnosis and symptomatology), neurobiological (embodied memory), therapeutic (recovery), pedagogical (educational environment), and socio-relational (disrupted connections). It is established that dictionary discourse fixes the medical-physical core of the concept, whereas educational discourse performs its functional re-profiling, from a category of pathology to a category of pedagogical responsibility, safety, and support. Within the trauma-informed approach, trauma is interpreted as a contextual factor that shapes communicative strategies, ethical standards, and institutional practices. The study demonstrates that the profiling of the concept TRAUMA is selective in nature: features such as regulation, resilience, empathy, and inclusivity are foregrounded, while purely clinical aspects shift to the periphery. Metaphorical models TRAUMA AS WOUND, BURDEN, JOURNEY perform both cognitive and pragmatic functions, enabling an empathetic reinterpretation of learners’ behavioral manifestations. The findings indicate a transformation of the semantic core of the concept TRAUMA in English-language educational discourse and its integration into the system of pedagogical ethics.
Downloads
References
American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5 Task Force. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders:DSM-5™ (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Askerova, I. A. (2025). Ukrainian linguoconceptology as an integrative branch of neolinguistics: development, current status, and prospects. Scientific Journal of Mykhailo Dragomanov State University of Ukraine. Series 9. Current Trends in Language Development, 29, 5–16. https://doi.org/10.31392/UDU-nc.series9.2025.29.01
Bosa, T. S. (2024). Concept as a structural unit of the linguistic worldview. Sсientific Bulletin
of Kherson State University. Series: Germanic Studies and Intercultural Communication, 1, 35–39. https://doi.org/10.32999/ksu2663-3426/2024-1-5 (in Ukrainian).
Briere, J., & Scott, C. (2015). Principles of trauma therapy: A guide to symptoms, evaluation, and treatment (DSM-5 Update) (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Bromet, E. J., Karam, E. G., Koenen, K. C., & Stein, D. J. (Eds.). (2018). Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder: Global perspectives from the WHO world mental health surveys. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Carello, J., & Butler, L. D. (2015). Practicing what we teach: Trauma-informed educational practice. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(3), 262–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2015.1030059
Caruth, C. (1996). Unclaimed experience: Trauma, narrative, and history. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Croft, W., & Cruse, D. (2004). Cognitive linguistics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Evans, V., & Green, M. (2006). Cognitive linguistics: An introduction. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Garbera, I. V. (2014). Functioning of the term ‘concept’ in modern linguistics. Bulletin of Donetsk National University. Series B: The Humanities, 1–2, 65–71. Retrieved from https://jvestnik-b.donnu.edu.ua/article/view/2476 (in Ukrainian).
Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence – from domestic abuse to political terror. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Hladio, S. (2021). The сoncept as a mental representation of knowledge in the context of linguo-cognitive research. Young Scientist, 10.1(98.1), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.32839/2304-5809/2021-98.1-4 (in Ukrainian).
Hyland, K. (2009). Academic discourse: English in a global context. London & New York: Continuum.
Kövecses, Z. (2002). Metaphor: A practical introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Kravets, L. V., Siuta, H. M., Struhanets, L. V., & Struhanets, Y. B (2021). Cognitive (conceptual) metaphor in the Ukrainian poetic discourse. Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 17(S2), 1308–1319. Retrieved from https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.141381318343539
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Langacker, R. (1987). Foundations of cognitive grammar. Vol. 1: Theoretical prerequisites. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Langacker, R. (1991). Foundations of cognitive grammar. Vol. 2: Descriptive application. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Mind. (n.d.). What is trauma? Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/trauma/about-trauma/
Molhamova, L., Otroshchenko, L., & Tatsenko, N. (2025). Trauma-informed education in pre-service teacher training during the wartime: A case study of Ukraine. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 19(1), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-025-00741-x
Mykhalchuk, N., Plakhtii, A., Panchenko, O., Ivashkevych, E., Khupavtseva, N., & Chebykin, О. (2023). Concept “ENGLAND” and its subconcepts in the consciousness of Ukrainian students. Psycholinguistics, 34(2), 6–47. https://doi.org/10.31470/2309-1797-2023-34-2-6-47
Mykhalchuk, N., Kharchenko, N., Kalmykov, H., Ivashkevych, E., Ivashkevych, E., Hupavtseva, N., & Мysаn, І. (2024). Concept “EDUCATION” and its subconcepts in the consciousness of Ukrainian managers. Psycholinguistics, 36(1), 154–188. https://doi.org/10.31470/2309-1797-2024-36-1-154-188
Pasyk, L. A. (2015). The concept as an object of cognitive linguistics research. Scientific Publications of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University. Topical Issues of Foreign Philology, 3, 124–128. Retrieved from https://evnuir.vnu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/10978 (in Ukrainian).
Pennebaker, J. W., & Seagal, J. D. (1999). Forming a story: The health benefits of narrative. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55(10), 1243–1254. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(199910)55:10<1243::AID-JCLP6>3.0.CO;2-N
Psychology Today. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/trauma
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (HHS Publication No. SMA 14-4884). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/medicaid_health_homes/docs/samhsa_trauma_concept_paper.pdf
Semino, E. (2010). Descriptions of pain, metaphor, and embodied simulation. Metaphor and Symbol, 25(4), 205–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2010.510926
Selivanova, O. (2008). Modern linguistics: directions and problems. Poltava, Ukraine: Dovkillia-K. (in Ukrainian).
Shevchenko, I., & Morozova, I. (2025). Cultural conceptualization of DEATH in religious and carnival worldviews in Middle English. East European Journal of Psycholinguistics, 12(1), 176-192. https://doi.org/10.29038/eejpl.2025.12.1.she
Shevchenko, O. M., & Shevchenko, N. S. (2020). Cognitive linguistics as a direction of linguistic research. Young Scientist, 7(1), 142–149. https://doi.org/10.32839/2304-5809/2020-83.1-36 (in Ukrainian).
Slabouz, V. V., & Nikitina, N. P. (2020). Basic methodological principles of cognitive studies in domestic linguistics. Scientific notes of V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University. Series: Philology. Journalism, 31(70), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.32838/2663-6069/2020.1-3/09 (in Ukrainian).
Souers, K., & Hall, P. (2016). Fostering resilient learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom. Arlington, VA: ASCD.
Storey, N., & Neaum, S. (2021). ‘Trauma-informed’ ideas in English education: Discussing the scientific evidence base and exploring the discursive and practice effects. International Journal of School Social Work, 6(1), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.4148/2161-4148.1069
Tatsenko, N., & Molhamova, L. (2023). Concepts through a linguosynergetic lens (on the example of the concept of Death). Alfred Nobel University Journal of Philology, 1(25), 244–259. https://doi.org/10.32342/2523-4463-2023-1-25-18
Thomas, M. S., Crosby, S. D., & Vanderhaar, J. E. (2019). Trauma-informed practices in schools across two decades: An interdisciplinary review of research. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 422–452. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18821123
Ukrainian Association of Cognitive Linguistics and Poetics. (2012). Statute of the Association. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://uaclip.at.ua/index/ustav_asociaciji/0-48 (in Ukrainian).
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY: Viking.
Van der Kolk, B. A., & Fisler, R. (1995). Dissociation and the fragmentary nature of traumatic memories: Overview and exploratory study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8(4), 505–525. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490080402
Van Dijk, T. A. (1997). Discourse as social interaction. London: Sage.
Vilchynska, T. P. (2014). Linguoconceptology as a new scientific discipline of a polyparadigmatic type. Scientific Notes of the TNPU. Series: Linguistics, 2(24), 65–69. Retrieved from http://dspace.tnpu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/6454 (in Ukrainian).
Wilson, V. E., Le Brocque, R., Drayton, J., & Hammer, S. (2024). Understanding and responsiveness in the trauma-informed adult ESL classroom. The Australian Educational Researcher, 51, 2069–2097. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-023-00680-2
Whitehead, A. (2004). Trauma fiction. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.
Yashanov, S. M., & Dzus, S. B. (2019). Scientific principles of computer modeling technologies application in the professional training of technology teachers. Educational Discourse: A Collection of Scientific Works, 10(1–2), 45–58. Retrieved from https://www.journal-discourse.com/uk/kataloh-statei/2019-rik/2019-r-101-2/naukovi-zasady-zastosuvannia-tekhnolohii-kompiuternoho-modeliuvannia-u-fakhovii-pidhotovtsi-uchyteliv-tekhnolohii (in Ukrainain).
Sources for illustrations
Alison. (n.d.). Introduction to PTSD: Treating trauma and managing symptoms. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://alison.com
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.apa.org/trauma
Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/trauma
Collins English Dictionary. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/trauma
Coursera. (n.d.). Disorders related to trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.coursera.org
Coursera. (n.d.). Trauma-informed care. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.coursera.org
FutureLearn. (n.d.). Supporting children experiencing trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.futurelearn.com
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trauma
National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/trauma
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (n.d.). Trauma. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/trauma
Copyright (c) 2026 Liliia Molhamova, Nataliia Tatsenko, Oleksandr Karpov
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors, who publish with this journal, accept the following conditions:
The authors reserve the copyright of their work and transfer to the journal the right of the first publication of this work under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which allows other persons to freely distribute a published work with mandatory reference to the authors of the original work and the first publication of the work in this journal.
Authors have the right to enter into separate additional agreements for the non-exclusive dissemination of the work in the form in which it was published by this journal (for example, to post the work in the electronic institutions' repository or to publish as part of a monograph), provided that the link to the first publication of the work in this journal is given.
The journal policy allows and encourages the authors to place the manuscripts on the Internet (for example, in the institutions' repositories or on personal websites), both before the presentation of this manuscript to the editorial board and during review procedure, as it contributes to the creation of productive scientific discussion and positively affects the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
