Trauma Event Centrality and Scam Victims

Principal Category: Scam Victim Recovery Psychology

Authors:
•  Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Licensed Psychologist, Specialty in Crime Victim Trauma Therapy, Neuropsychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
•  Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Polymath, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

 

Abstract 

Traumatic event centrality describes how a deeply distressing experience, such as a scam, becomes a central part of a person’s identity, memory, and life narrative. For scam victims, this often means that the trauma is not seen as something that happened—it becomes who they are. This psychological shift affects how they recall the past, interpret the present, and anticipate the future. The concept helps explain why scam trauma can feel permanent and why many victims struggle with shame, loss of self, and emotional paralysis long after the event ends. Victims may experience persistent rumination, identity confusion, and difficulty moving forward, particularly when the scam is internalized as a personal failure rather than a criminal violation. Recovery depends on reducing the centrality of the trauma by expanding other parts of identity and reclaiming agency. Through structured reflection, self-compassion, and consistent support, victims can learn to place the scam in context, rather than at the core of their self-concept. Understanding traumatic event centrality helps clarify why scam recovery is not just about emotional resilience, but also about narrative reconstruction and identity repair.

Traumatic Event Centrality in Psychology: Understanding How Trauma Redefines Identity and Memory

Part 1: Traumatic Event Centrality

Traumatic Event Centrality refers to the degree to which a person perceives a traumatic event as central to their identity, life story, and understanding of the world. In psychological terms, it describes how much the trauma becomes a defining reference point in a person’s life narrative. The concept was developed to explore why some individuals are more deeply affected by traumatic experiences than others, even when the events are similar in nature or intensity.

This concept is especially relevant in the study of post-traumatic stress, where the way an individual processes and assigns meaning to a traumatic event significantly shapes their emotional and psychological outcome. When a traumatic event becomes central to a person’s self-concept, it tends to be recalled frequently, evaluated intensely, and integrated into one’s ongoing understanding of who they are. This can heighten emotional reactivity and reinforce patterns of distress, particularly if the event is associated with shame, betrayal, or unresolved grief.

What is Traumatic Event Centrality (TEC)

Traumatic Event Centrality (TEC) is a psychological concept that describes the extent to which a traumatic event becomes a core part of an individual’s identity and a central reference point for their life story and experiences. When a traumatic event is highly central, it profoundly influences how individuals see themselves, understand their past, and anticipate their future.

Instead of being integrated into the broader narrative of one’s life as one event among many, a highly central traumatic event acts as a defining moment, often overshadowing other experiences and aspects of self. This can lead individuals to feel that their life is demarcated into a “before” and “after” the trauma, with the event fundamentally altering their sense of self and their worldview.

Key aspects of Traumatic Event Centrality include:

• • Identity Formation: The traumatic event becomes deeply ingrained in the person’s self-concept. They may define themselves in terms of the trauma (e.g., “I am a survivor of X”).
  • Reference Point: The event serves as a primary lens through which other life experiences, both past and present, are interpreted and understood. Future expectations can also be heavily colored by the trauma.
  • Turning Point: The trauma is perceived as a critical juncture that has irrevocably changed the course of their life.
    Psychological Implications:

Research has consistently linked high Traumatic Event Centrality to a range of psychological outcomes, most notably:

• • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): TEC is strongly correlated with the development, maintenance, and severity of PTSD symptoms. This includes intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and hyperarousal. The more central the trauma, the more likely an individual is to experience these distressing symptoms.
  • Depression and Anxiety: High TEC is also associated with increased rates of depression, anxiety, and general distress.
  • Grief and Dissociation: The centrality of a traumatic loss can complicate the grieving process, and TEC has been linked to dissociative experiences.
  • Rumination: Individuals with high TEC often engage in more frequent and intense rumination about the traumatic event and its consequences.
  • Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG): Interestingly, while often linked to negative outcomes, some research suggests that the process of grappling with a highly central traumatic event can, for some individuals, also lead to post-traumatic growth. This refers to positive psychological changes experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. However, the relationship between TEC and PTG is complex and not always straightforward.

Traumatic Event Centrality (TEC) Measurement:

Traumatic Event Centrality is most commonly measured using the Centrality of Event Scale (CES), developed by Berntsen and Rubin. This self-report questionnaire assesses the degree to which an individual perceives a specific stressful or traumatic event as central to their identity and life story.

In summary, Traumatic Event Centrality highlights the profound and often lasting impact that traumatic experiences can have on an individual’s sense of self and their overall narrative. Understanding this concept is crucial for clinicians and researchers working with trauma survivors, as it can inform therapeutic interventions aimed at helping individuals integrate traumatic experiences in a less dominant and more adaptive way.

The Centrality of Event Scale (CES)

The Centrality of Event Scale (CES), developed by Dorthe Berntsen and David C. Rubin, is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the extent to which a specific autobiographical event is perceived as a core component of an individual’s identity and life story. Originally introduced in 2006, the CES helps researchers and clinicians understand how deeply an event, often a stressful or traumatic one, has become a central reference point in a person’s life.

The scale assesses three main, interdependent characteristics of how an event might be central to an individual:

• • The event as a central component of personal identity: This refers to the degree to which the event has become part of how individuals see themselves (e.g., “I feel that this event has become part of my identity”).
  • The event as a reference point for everyday inferences and attributions of meaning: This explores whether the event is used to understand and interpret other life experiences and to generate expectations for the future (e.g., “This event has become a reference point for the way I understand myself and the world”).
  • The event as a turning point in the life story: This measures whether the event is seen as a critical juncture that has significantly altered the trajectory of the individual’s life (e.g., “This event was a turning point in my life”).

Key Features of the CES:

• • Versions: The CES exists in a full 20-item version and a widely used shorter 7-item version. Both versions have demonstrated good reliability and validity.
  • Scoring: Participants typically rate their agreement with each item on a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 “totally disagree” to 5 “totally agree”). A higher total score indicates a greater perceived centrality of the event.
  • Application to Various Events: While initially focused on traumatic or highly stressful events and their relationship to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, the CES has also been used to study the centrality of other types of significant personal events, including positive ones, shameful experiences, and major life transitions.

Interpretation and Implications:

• High Centrality of Negative Events: Research consistently shows that a high degree of centrality for a negative or traumatic event is strongly correlated with more severe PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, prolonged grief, and general psychological distress. The event dominates the individual’s life narrative and self-concept, often in a maladaptive way.
• High Centrality of Positive Events: Conversely, positive events that are perceived as highly central can be associated with positive psychological outcomes and well-being.
• Autobiographical Memory: The CES provides insights into how significant personal events are integrated into an individual’s autobiographical memory system and overall self-schema. A highly central traumatic event may be more accessible and vivid but also more likely to trigger distress.
• Post-Traumatic Growth: Interestingly, some research suggests that event centrality can also be associated with post-traumatic growth (PTG), indicating that the process of an event becoming central to one’s life story might, for some, involve finding meaning and experiencing positive change, despite the initial distress.

Uses:

• Research: The CES is extensively used in psychology research to investigate the role of event centrality in various psychological conditions, the nature of autobiographical memory, identity formation, and the processes of coping and adaptation following significant life experiences.
• Clinical Settings: Clinically, the CES can be a valuable tool for assessing how clients are processing and integrating significant life events, particularly traumas.

Understanding the centrality of an event can help therapists tailor interventions to address maladaptive narratives and promote healthier integration of the experience.

In essence, the Centrality of Event Scale provides a standardized way to quantify how much a particular life event has become a defining element of a person’s identity and outlook, with significant implications for their psychological well-being.

Part 2: Impacts

Event Centrality and Memory Organization

In cognitive psychology, memory is not a static record but an evolving system of personal meaning. When a traumatic event becomes highly central, it can reorganize a person’s memory network. Neutral or unrelated life events may become interpreted through the lens of the trauma. As a result, the traumatic memory is not simply remembered; it becomes the filter through which new experiences are judged and stored.

This can distort how time is perceived. The trauma may feel close even if it happened years ago. Small triggers can spark flashbacks or emotional flooding because the event has been given dominant narrative weight. Individuals with high event centrality often report difficulty moving on, as though the past event still defines their present.

Impact on Identity and Self-Understanding

When a traumatic experience becomes fused with identity, the individual often feels permanently changed by the event. This fusion might take the form of thoughts such as “This changed who I am” or “My life will never be the same.” The stronger the belief that the trauma defines them, the more difficult it becomes to access other parts of the self. This narrowing of identity increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and prolonged post-traumatic stress symptoms.

In cases of scam victimization, for example, individuals with high event centrality may feel that their worth, intelligence, or basic trust in others has been permanently damaged. They may adopt the belief that they are “the person who was scammed,” rather than someone who experienced a crime. This identity fusion can delay or complicate recovery.

Event Centrality and Emotional Processing

The link between event centrality and emotional distress is well-documented. Studies show that individuals who assign high personal significance to a traumatic event often experience stronger negative emotions, including guilt, shame, anger, and helplessness. These emotions become harder to manage when the trauma is viewed not as one chapter in life, but as the central storyline.

High event centrality also amplifies internal conflict. The brain attempts to integrate the traumatic experience into the larger self-narrative, but if the event contradicts previous self-beliefs, identity confusion may follow. For instance, a person who once saw themselves as strong, discerning, and independent may now feel weak, naive, or powerless. This disruption often leads to cognitive dissonance and self-blame.

General Trauma Recovery Implications

Therapeutic approaches that address traumatic event centrality focus on reframing the role of the trauma in a person’s life narrative. The goal is not to erase the memory, but to reduce its dominance. This involves helping individuals recognize that while the trauma affected them, it does not define them.

Narrative therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and meaning reconstruction methods can support this process. These approaches guide individuals in separating their core identity from the traumatic event and restoring access to other parts of the self that are resilient, valuable, and forward-looking.

Individual Differences in Event Centrality

Not everyone assigns central importance to traumatic events. Personality traits, prior experiences, cultural values, and current life context all influence how central a trauma becomes. People high in neuroticism or those with a history of unresolved trauma may be more likely to integrate new trauma into their identity. Conversely, individuals with strong self-concepts, healthy support systems, and balanced emotional regulation may be more capable of limiting the scope of trauma’s influence.

This variation explains why two people can experience the same kind of scam but have radically different emotional outcomes. One person may feel shattered and altered permanently, while another may experience grief and loss but eventually regain confidence and perspective. Event centrality offers a framework for understanding these divergent paths.

Traumatic Event Centrality describes the extent to which a traumatic experience becomes integrated into a person’s identity and life story. When an event is perceived as central, it can alter memory, shape emotional responses, and complicate the healing process. Scam victims who internalize the trauma as a defining personal failure often struggle more with recovery. Recognizing and addressing event centrality is crucial for restoring a broader, more resilient sense of self.

Support programs and therapeutic methods that encourage reframing, narrative flexibility, and identity reconstruction can help reduce event centrality and facilitate emotional healing. With the right tools and perspective, individuals can learn to honor the significance of their trauma without allowing it to overshadow the rest of who they are.

Part 3: Traumatic Event Centrality in Scam Victim Recovery

How Identity Becomes Shaped by Betrayal and Loss

Traumatic event centrality refers to how strongly a person incorporates a traumatic event into their sense of identity, personal history, and worldview. When an experience becomes central to the self, it defines how the person sees who they are and how they relate to the world around them. In psychological terms, the event is not simply a painful memory. It becomes a reference point that reshapes self-concept, personal values, and perceived life direction.

For scam victims, traumatic event centrality is often intense. The scam is not just something that happened. It becomes a turning point, a source of shame, and in many cases, a filter through which they interpret their past and anticipate their future. This centrality can be both understandable and damaging, especially when it interferes with a person’s ability to move forward.

Before the Scam: Identity as Stability

Before the scam, many victims experience a stable sense of identity. They see themselves as responsible, intelligent, caring, or cautious. These positive self-concepts become anchors in daily life. However, once the scam unfolds and its truth is revealed, these anchors are often shattered. Victims may find themselves unable to reconcile their past identity with the fact that they were deceived. The internal conflict often becomes a primary emotional injury.

When traumatic centrality begins to form, the scam is no longer viewed as an external attack. It becomes an internal failure. This cognitive shift is one of the most dangerous phases in recovery. Instead of seeing the scam as a violation committed by a predator, the victim sees it as a personal collapse. This belief structure creates deeper despair, social withdrawal, and long-term emotional paralysis.

During the Scam: False Identity Formation

While the scam is ongoing, many victims unconsciously adopt a new identity shaped by the scammer’s narrative. They may see themselves as loved, chosen, or uniquely important to another person. These roles often reinforce emotional vulnerability. The longer the deception continues, the more invested the victim becomes in sustaining this false identity.

In hindsight, this experience feels humiliating. The betrayal is not only financial or emotional. It is existential. The scammer was not only stealing money or trust—they were reshaping how the victim saw themselves. Once the lie is exposed, the psychological whiplash can be extreme. Victims must now dismantle both the scam and the version of themselves that existed within it.

This transition is often when traumatic event centrality solidifies. The scam takes center stage in personal memory and identity. Everything else becomes secondary.

After the Scam: When Trauma Becomes the Narrative

In the aftermath, scam victims often describe feeling like a different person. They may use language such as “I’m not who I was” or “That changed everything.” These statements reflect a shift in identity where the trauma is no longer an event. It has become the story. Life becomes divided into two eras: before the scam and after the scam.

This mindset is exhausting. Daily routines, decision-making, and social interactions become filtered through fear, doubt, and hypervigilance. Victims may avoid new relationships, abandon ambitions, or even alter how they present themselves to others. These behaviors are attempts to protect the fragile self that remains.

The problem with traumatic event centrality is not that the trauma is acknowledged. It is that the trauma becomes dominant. It can crowd out other aspects of identity, such as creativity, joy, resilience, or curiosity. When the trauma becomes the core of how a person sees themselves, recovery becomes more difficult. Growth, perspective, and healing require enough distance to see the event as part of life—not the whole of it.

Emotional Patterns in High Centrality Victims

• Victims who experience high traumatic event centrality often exhibit certain emotional patterns:
• Persistent shame that does not respond to reassurance
• Difficulty recalling positive memories unrelated to the scam
• Obsessive rumination and mental replaying of scam details
• Harsh self-judgment and resistance to forgiveness
• Withdrawal from supportive communities
• Loss of future orientation or belief in personal potential

These responses are not simply psychological symptoms. They are part of a new mental architecture where the trauma has become foundational. In many cases, these individuals become stuck in long-term grief, anger, or emotional numbness.

The Role of Recovery Programs in Addressing Centrality

Effective recovery programs can help reduce traumatic event centrality by offering structured education, emotional regulation tools, and personalized goal-setting. Rather than forcing victims to forget or minimize what happened, good programs provide language and methods to reframe the experience.

Victims who engage in structured reflection often begin to shift their focus from the betrayal to their response. Over time, identity reconstruction becomes possible. The scam remains a serious and painful chapter, but it no longer defines the entire story. Instead of being a “scam victim,” the individual begins to see themselves as a survivor, a learner, and a person with agency.

Recovery approaches that emphasize consistency, reflection, and self-compassion tend to work well. Daily journaling, creative expression, community service, and psychoeducation all support this transition. These tools help victims see that they are more than what was done to them.

Why Event Centrality Matters in Scam Trauma

Unlike other crimes, scams often involve emotional immersion. Victims are not just targeted. They are recruited into an emotional framework that rewards belief and punishes doubt. Once that framework collapses, the emotional fallout is profound. Traumatic event centrality explains why many victims cannot simply “move on.” Their inner world has been reorganized.

Understanding this concept is vital. It removes blame and shifts attention toward the cognitive and emotional processes that shape identity after trauma. High centrality is not a failure. It is a response to deep emotional disruption. Recognizing it allows professionals, loved ones, and victims themselves to approach recovery with realism and patience.

Reducing Centrality Through Identity Expansion

The goal is not to erase the trauma. It is to decentralize it. This means helping victims rebuild other parts of their identity that were damaged or forgotten. People are not only their pain. They are their values, memories, relationships, strengths, and dreams. When these other parts are nourished, the trauma becomes one part of a larger, more resilient self.

Scam trauma often leaves a wound where identity used to be. Traumatic event centrality is the brain’s attempt to make sense of something overwhelming. It is not the end of identity. It is the beginning of reconstruction.

By helping victims recover their sense of meaning, direction, and autonomy, recovery professionals can reduce the psychological weight of the scam and support deeper, long-term healing.

Conclusion

Traumatic event centrality provides a clear framework for understanding how deeply a scam can affect a victim’s identity, memory, and long-term emotional health. It explains why scam trauma is not just a matter of broken trust or lost money but often a redefinition of self. When a scam becomes central to how a person views their life, it can dominate thought patterns, distort memory, and narrow personal identity. This is not a sign of weakness—it is a reflection of how powerful emotional betrayal can be when integrated into the psychological self.

For victims of scams, this integration often begins subtly, through the development of roles, narratives, and attachments within the scam itself. As the deception unfolds, these internal roles harden into belief structures. After discovery, these structures often remain, and the victim finds themselves not only grieving the relationship or financial loss, but questioning who they are and what they believed about themselves. The scam becomes a defining reference point, distorting the full picture of their life, identity, and capacity for growth.

Recognizing this process is essential for any path forward. Healing begins with the ability to view the trauma not as identity, but as one difficult chapter. Support systems that provide education, narrative tools, emotional regulation techniques, and structured reflection can help loosen the centrality of the scam. These interventions allow the individual to reconnect with qualities and experiences that existed before the betrayal—and to cultivate new ones that reflect a wiser, more resilient self.

The scam may remain a painful memory, but it does not need to be the defining story. With the right support and perspective, victims can learn to live beyond the boundaries that trauma once imposed. Identity can be rebuilt. Trust can be restored. And meaning can emerge from what once felt like total collapse. Traumatic event centrality shows how trauma becomes central—but it also shows that identity is dynamic, and that recovery is possible through reintegration, not erasure.

Reference

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263923860_The_Role_of_Centrality_of_Events_in_Posttraumatic_Distress_and_Posttraumatic_Growth
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3974102/
• https://www.scielo.br/j/prc/a/tKprBptx6PdMCn5T6GSx6SR/
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284012204_Experimentally_reducing_event_centrality_using_a_modified_expressive_writing_intervention