Proceeding from the identity concept, the author attempts to establish the unconscious oedipal connections between individual core identity and large-group identity in “Large-Group Identity and Chosen Trauma.” Taking

his bearings from Erikson, Volkan conceives of a large-group identity as the subjective experience of many persons linked by a feeling of their own uniqueness. Mental representations of shared historical events—categorized as “suitable reservoirs,” “chosen glories,” “chosen traumas,” “transgenerational transmissions,” and “time collapse”—form the markers for large-group identity. The author exemplifies his ideas with reference to the collective mental representation of “chosen glories” and “chosen trauma.”