Moral Injury and Healing After the Great War: What G.A. Studdert Kennedy's Experience of Moral Injury Can Teach Us

J Pastoral Care Counsel. 2024 Dec;78(4):144-164. doi: 10.1177/15423050241292732. Epub 2024 Oct 29.

Abstract

In this article, I chart the development of moral injury in the life of Rev. G.A. Studdert Kennedy, a well-known British Chaplain who served in the First World War. Studdert Kennedy did not benefit from contemporary insights on Moral Injury but intuitively followed a path toward healing that involved reflection, confession, penance and post-traumatic growth. Chaplain Studdert Kennedy's experience of moral Injury can inform our contemporary understanding and treatment of this debilitating malady.

Keywords: Chaplain; First World War; Moral Injury.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Clergy / psychology
  • History, 20th Century
  • Humans
  • Morals*
  • Pastoral Care
  • United Kingdom
  • World War I*