King Jeongjo Overcoming the Death of Crown Prince Sado: From the Perspective of Post-Traumatic Growth

The purpose of this study is to understand how King Jeongjo was able to overcome the trauma of the tragic death of his father, Crown Prince Sado. In order to analyze the psychological changes that Jeongjo went through as he grew after suffering a traumatic event, we applied classical analysis research methods. We extracted and reviewed information from literature sources and related materials, extracted parts of the selected materials that were deemed valuable, and read and analyzed them repeatedly. After examining the meaning of the trauma experienced by Jeongjo and how he overcame it and grew through the analysis, we discussed the findings with fellow experts. Key research findings include: First, as a result of analyzing the family structure to understand King Jeongjo's life, it appears that although his grandparents and father had unstable psychological characteristics, his psychological state was able to be stable thanks to his mother, Lady Hyegyeong Hong, who had a realistic disposition. Second, although Jeongjo experienced trauma that could be considered child abuse by today's child welfare standards, he showed signs of post-traumatic growth, such as changes in his perspective on himself and the world, changes in his interpersonal relationships, and changes in his perception of life. In particular, the various traumas he experienced during his childhood and the process of overcoming them seem to have led to a social concern for the weak, which allowed him to deeply empathize with the lives of the people by sublimating his personal pain into a social pain. Third, as a result of analyzing the factors that influenced Jeongjo's post-traumatic growth, it was found that these factors included his grandfather Yeongjo's permission to enter the Seungjeongwon Diary, his mother Hyegyeonggung Hong's wise role, his father Crown Prince Sado's love for his son, and Jeongjo's outstanding personal capabilities. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it confirms that King Jeongjo, who experienced post-traumatic growth, deeply sympathized with the suffering of the people and made efforts to resolve it, which led to his becoming a monarch who loved the people.