Childhood trauma constitutes a pivotal psychological experience with profound effects on mental health, relational stability, and emotional regulation. This study used a psychological approach that focused on studying the main character in the novel It Ends with Us (2016). The purposes of this study are to analyse what form of childhood trauma that Lily Bloom experienced, the symptoms as well as the impact in her.
This research used three theories, the first theory is from Kushi Mukherjee that used to answer the question about the forms of childhood trauma, the second theory is from Wei May-Su used to answer the research question about the symptoms of childhood trauma in adult survivor, and the last theory is from Judith Lewis Herman used to answer the research question about the impact of childhood trauma. The data obtained were in the form of narratives and the secondary sources such as journals and articles. In the data collection process, there were several steps taken, namely identifying data, grouping data, and reducing inappropriate data based on the study focus.
This research revealed that Lily Bloom as the main character was experiencing childhood trauma in the form of witnessing domestic violence. Moreover, Lily made it clear that she experienced some symptoms of childhood trauma, such as emotional dysregulation, interpersonal instability, and re-experiencing. Therefore, unawareness of unstable relationship as a pathological change in relationship resulting from childhood trauma.
Keywords: childhood trauma, It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover, symptoms, impact