The Four Stages of Trauma in Netflix's Adolescence: A Psychological Analysis of Shock, Denial, Anger, and Acceptance

7th Cultural Informatics, Communication&Media Studies Conference, Lefkoşa, Kıbrıs (Kktc), 02 Mayıs 2025, ss.79-80, (Özet Bildiri)

The Four Stages of Trauma in Netflix's Adolescence: A

Psychological Analysis of Shock, Denial, Anger, and Acceptance

This study examines the portrayal of the four stages of trauma—shock, denial,

anger, and acceptance—in Netflix’s limited series Adolescence, through the lens of

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s trauma model and its later expansion by David Kessler. The

series, structured in four real-time episodes, follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller’s

arrest for murder and its aftermath, offering a visceral exploration of trauma

responses. Using textual and visual analysis, this presentation dissects how each

episode aligns with a distinct stage of trauma, employing the series’ innovative

single-take cinematography to immerse viewers in the characters’ psychological

turmoil.

The first episode depicts shock through Jamie’s father, Eddie, whose numbness

and disbelief during the police raid mirror Kübler-Ross’s initial stage of trauma. The

second episode shifts to denial, as Jamie’s school and community evade the

crime’s gravity, reflecting societal avoidance mechanisms. The third episode

focuses on anger, highlighting Jamie’s volatile therapy session, where aggression

masks his vulnerability and guilt—a hallmark of trauma-driven rage. Finally, the

fourth episode culminates in acceptance, as Eddie and Jamie confront irreversible

loss, though without resolution, aligning with Kessler’s emphasis on trauma as non-

linear and often unresolved. Methodologically, this analysis draws on narrative

theory and psychological frameworks to decode the series’ symbolic visuals (e.g.,

the vandalized van as societal stigma) and dialogue (Jamie’s confrontational

outbursts). The single-take technique amplifies the raw emotionality of each stage,

blurring the line between character and viewer experience.

The findings reveal Adolescence as a nuanced portrayal of trauma, challenging

simplistic narratives of closure. By juxtaposing Jamie’s personal breakdown with

systemic failures (toxic masculinity, online radicalization), the series underscores

trauma as both individual and collective. This study concludes that the series

reframes Kübler-Ross’s model for the digital age, where trauma is compounded by

societal complicity and mediated violence.