ILN Journal: Indian Literary Narratives

Articles

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): ILN Journal: Indian Literary Narratives

Trauma, Possession, and PTSD: Exploring Nogitsune Arc in MTV’s Teen Wolf

Submitted
16 January 2026
Published
2026-03-30

Abstract

As a genre, supernatural teen television often engages with complex psychological themes pertaining to adolescents and their lives. One such show is MTV’s Teen Wolf (2011), centered around Scott McCall, a teenager coming to terms with his recent transformation into a werewolf. Teen Wolf, specifically Season Three, Part Two, exhibits these aspects, focusing on trauma using the background of spiritual possession based on Japanese mythology. The paper attempts to explore the Nogitsune arc as a metaphorical depiction of traumatic symptoms and, essentially, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

           This article focuses on the character of Stiles Stilinski, a close friend of Scott’s and his mental combat with the Nogitsune and how this possession manifests itself into symptoms like night terrors, recurring nightmares, dissociation, repression of memory and depersonalization. Drawing on Herman, Caruth, Balaev and other theorists’ literary and psychological trauma theories, the paper highlights the impact of traumatic triggers (here, possession) and the influence of social support in healing of said trauma. This article offers a nuanced perspective to understand the extent of trauma by integrating the mythical element of spiritual possession, adding to the understanding of supernatural teen television’s depiction of trauma and adolescence.

References

  1. “Alpha Pact.” Teen Wolf, written by Jeff Davis and Angela Harvey, directed by Tim Andrew, season 3, episode 11, MTV, 2013.
  2. “Anchors.” Teen Wolf, written by Jeff Davis and Angela Harvey, directed by Russell Mulcahy, season 3, episode 13, MTV, 2014.
  3. Balaev, Michelle. “Trends in Literary Trauma Theory.” Mosaic: An Interdisciplinary Critical Journal, vol. 41, no. 2, June 2008, pp. 149–166. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44029500.
  4. Barrett, Deirdre, editor. Trauma and Dreams. First Harvard UP, 2001.
  5. Cardi, Luciana. “A Japanese Fox in a Woman’s Body.” Forms of the Body in Contemporary Japanese Society, Literature, and Culture, edited by Irina Holca and Carmen Săpunaru Tămaș, Lexington Books, n.d.
  6. Caruth, Cathy. “Introduction: The Wound and the Voice.” Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative, and History, Johns Hopkins UP, 1996, pp. 1–9.
  7. “De-Void.” Teen Wolf, written by Jeff Davis and Angela Harvey, directed by Christian Taylor, season 3, episode 22, MTV, 2014.
  8. Diviny, Clare. “Supernatural Teen Television: Spiritual Lessons for Teen Viewers.” IIPC Publication Series, no. 7, 2016.
  9. Gonçalves, Diana. “Popping (it) Up: An Exploration on Popular Culture and TV Series Supernatural.” Diffractions: Graduate Journal for the Study of Culture, no. 4, Spring 2015.
  10. Gordon, Avigail, and Kate Szymanski. “Breaking the Silence: Reevaluating What Makes an Experience a Trauma.” The Unspeakable: Narratives of Trauma, edited by Magda Stroińska et al., EPUB ed., Peter Lang, 2014. doi:10.3726/978-3-653-04423-2.
  11. Hartmann, Ernest. “Who Develops PTSD Nightmares and Who Doesn’t.” Trauma and Dreams, edited by Deirdre Barrett, First Harvard UP, 2001, pp. 100–114.
  12. Hecker, Tobias, Laura Braitmayer, and Marieke van Duijl. “Global Mental Health and Trauma Exposure: The Current Evidence for the Relationship between Traumatic Experiences and Spirit Possession.” European Journal of Psychotraumatology, vol. 6, no. 1, 2015, doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.29126.
  13. Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery. Basic Books, 1992.
  14. Lee, Jason. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Film and Media: Digital Cultures and the Politics of Time and Memory. Palgrave Macmillan, 2025.
  15. Martín Ferrando, Ariadna. Not Into Bad Guys Anyways: Scott McCall, or Positive Representations of Masculine Identities in US Supernatural Teen Drama. Universitat de les Illes Balears, 2022. Undergraduate thesis.
  16. Mathis, Corine Elizabeth. From Liars to Slayers: Seeking a Better Understanding of the Teen Drama. Aug. 2017.
  17. Nader, Kathleen. “Children’s Traumatic Dreams.” Trauma and Dreams, edited by Deirdre Barrett, First Harvard UP, 2001, pp. 9–25.
  18. Nozaki, Kiyoshi. Kitsuné: Japan’s Fox of Mystery and Humor. Hokuseido Press, 1961, pp. 1–19.
  19. Özgen, Nurgül, and Melike Ayça Ay Kaatsız. “Analyzing the Concept of Post-Traumatic Growth with Qualitative Film Analysis: Breathe.” Journal of Psychiatric Nursing, 2022, doi:10.14744/phd.2022.90023.
  20. “Riddled.” Teen Wolf, written by Christian Taylor, Jeff Davis, and Angela Harvey, directed by Tim Andrew, season 3, episode 18, MTV, 2014.
  21. Rosen, Rachel. “Trauma, Recovery, and Adolescent Relationships in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, vol. 13, 2023, pp. 57–65. doi:10.7771/2158-4052.1586.
  22. Stroińska, Magda, Kate Szymanski, and Vikki Cecchetto. “Introduction: We Need to Talk about Trauma.” The Unspeakable: Narratives of Trauma, edited by Magda Stroińska et al., EPUB ed., Peter Lang, 2014. doi:10.3726/978-3-653-04423-2.
  23. Subu, Muhammad Arsyad, et al. “Traditional, Religious, and Cultural Perspectives on Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study on Causal Beliefs and Treatment Use.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, vol. 17, no. 1, 2022, doi:10.1080/17482631.2022.2123090.
  24. Taylor, Charles. Sources of the Self: The Making of Modern Identity. Cambridge UP, 1989.
  25. Turbyfield, Maggie R. “Resilience as a Coming-of-Age Model in Young Adult Literature.” 2025. Honors thesis.
  26. “Unleashed.” Teen Wolf, written by Alyssa Clark, Jesec Griffin, and Jeff Davis, directed by Tim Andrew, season 3, episode 4, MTV, 2013.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.