The Ground Before Growth: The DARMA Model of Diminishment

Abstract The DARMA Model of Diminishment offers a pre-flourishing psychological framework that identifies five dimensions—Despair, Absence, Rupture, Moral Injury, and Atrophy—as valid and systemic conditions that precede well-being. This model, developed in the post-apartheid South African context, reframes experiences of exclusion, silence, and disillusionment not as deficits but as dignified responses to unresolved histories. Presented as a globally relevant, emotionally resonant speech-text, this contribution challenges deficit-focused narratives and provides a psychologically precise, metaphor-rich lens for recognizing diminishment as the ground from which flourishing must emerge. Suitable for educators, institutions, and flourishing practitioners seeking trauma-informed, systemic foundations for positive development.